Coping with Climate Change: China's Efforts and Their Sociological Significance

Most scientists worldwide have accepted anthropogenic climate change as a scientific fact. However, the awareness of climate change varies according to populations, regions, nations and cultures. The Chinese government which agrees with this scientific consensus has made proactive efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. While making progress in certain areas, it is also confronted with multiple daunting challenges. The efforts made by the Chinese government to fight climate change have brought the environmental constraints arising from the process of China's modernization to the attention of sociologists. This has helped call attention to the social complexity of policy design and practice in addressing climate change. Meanwhile, from the sociological perspective, this paper appeals to sociologists to do their utmost in improving the design and efficacy of climate change policies.