CESS Resources

External Resources

3X3 Beijing Tianjin Water Resources Management Project

A project lead by UBC’s Centre for Human Settlements between Canadian and Chinese Universities investigating sustainable water management in North China.

American Society for Environmental History(ASEH)

The American Society for Environmental History (ASEH) increases understanding of current environmental issues by analyzing their historical background. Founded in 1977, ASEH promotes scholarship and teaching in environmental history, supports the professional needs of its members, and connects its undertakings with larger communities.

Asia Pacific Memo

Asia Pacific Memo is for those interested in current issues in Asia and across the Pacific. Distributed twice-weekly, they feature short essays on contemporary Asia. Each edition addresses a compelling issue and is based in academic research.

Association for East Asian Environmental History (AEAEH)

The AEAEH is an organization of individual members engaged in doing research on East Asian environmental issues with historical perspectives.

Australian & New Zealand Environmental History Network

The Environmental History Network was established in 1997 to facilitate communications between scholars working across a range of departments at the Australian National University and surrounding government, business, cultural and scientific institutions and independent scholars.

China Dialogue

A bilingual discussion website about China and environmental issues. Notable writers include SEPA head Pan Yue and Sinologist Orville Schell.

China Energy Group @ UC Berkeley

Working collaboratively in China and elsewhere to understand the dynamics of energy use in China, strengthen Chinese capabilities in energy efficiency, and enhance relationships on energy efficiency among Chinese, U.S., and international institutions.

China Environment Forum @ Woodrow Wilson Center

Since 1997, the China Environment Forum has implemented projects, workshops, and exchanges that bring together U.S., Chinese, and other environmental policy experts to explore the most imperative environmental and sustainable development issues in China and to examine opportunities for business, governmental, and nongovernmental communities to collaboratively address these issues.

China Sustainable Energy Program

An offshoot of the American Energy Foundation, the CSEP conducts a wide array of programs tackling Chinese energy issues.

Climate History Network

The Network is an informal organization for teachers and researchers interested in climate and history.  Our goal is to bring together historians and historical climatologists from around the world, to help forge more collaborative and interdisciplinary work, and to offer contacts and resources for academics in the field of climate and history.

European Society for Environmental History (ESEH)

The European Society for Environmental History works since 1999 actively to promote the study of environmental history in all academic disciplines and encourages anyone who has an interest in the field to join and become involved.

Friends of Nature (Chinese NGO)

Friends of Nature (FON) is the oldest environmental NGO in China. They have been working for over a decade to promote environmental awareness about China,s most pressing environmental problems. In particular, they have focused on protecting endangered species such as the Tibetan antelope and the snub-nosed monkey; environmental education through camps, and most importantly, teacher-training; and awareness-raising campaigns such as photo exhibitions and publications.

Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs

An interactive map of China’s water pollution problem, this site created by environmentalist Ma Jun is the first public database of water pollution information in China. Resources in English and Mandarin.

Network in Canada History and Environment (NiCHE)

NiCHE brings together historians, geographers, and other researchers who study nature and humans in Canada’s past. We offer a forum for the field, support collaboration among scholars, and ensure that this research is shared with policymakers, scientists, and the Canadian public.

Osservatorio politiche ambientali (Environmental Policies Watch)

The Osservatorio politiche ambientali (Environmental Policies Watch) aims at encouraging the creation of a network among scholars (not only Italian) who concern themselves with environmental issues.

Professional Association for China’s Environment (PACE)

A leading international network of professionals focused on improving both the quality of life and environment in China. Publishes Sinosphere.

State Environmental Protection Agency at Ministry of Environment of the People’s Republic of China

Chinese government website on the environment.

The Environmental History Resources

Exploring Environmental History is the podcast about human societies and the environment in the past. The periodic programmes feature interviews with people working in the field, reports on conferences and discussions about the use and methods of environmental history.

The Forest History Society (FHS)

The Forest History Society (FHS) is a nonprofit educational institution located in Durham, North Carolina, that links the past to the future by identifying, collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating information on the history of interactions between people, forests, and their related resources — timber, water, soil, forage, fish and wildlife, recreation, and scenic or spiritual values.

The International Consortium of Environmental History Organizations (ICEHO)

The aim of the Consortium is to foster international communication among environmental history organizations. Specific goals include sharing information, learning from the successes and failures of others, and discussing common issues, concerns, and challenges.

The International Water History Association (IWHA)

Three Gorges Probe

Probe International’s campaign covering high profile Chinese dam projects and the rivers they threaten.

Journal Issues

Here is a short list of journal volumes dedicated to China and environmental sustainability, please keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive:

Arthur P. J. Mol; Neil T. Carter (ed.)Environmental Politics, Vol. 15 (2), 2006 Special Issue: Environmental Governance in China. [Republished 2007 Environmental Governance in China, Routledge.]

Peter Ho (ed.) Development and Change, Vol. 37 (1), 2006. Special Issue: China’s Limits to Growth. [Republished 2006 China’s Limits to Growth: Greening State and Society (ed. Peter Ho and Eduard B. Vermeer), Blackwell Synergy.]

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 4, No. 7, (September 2006). Special Issue China’s Environmental challenges: the way forward.

Energy Buildings Volume 38, Issue 11, Pages 1293-1368 (November 2006) Energy and Environment of Residential Buildings in China
Edited by Alfred Moser and Alan Meier

Peter Ho and Richard L. Edmonds (ed.) Special Issue on Environmental NGOs, China Information,Vol. XXI, no. 2 (July 2007)