Theorization of environmental justice in Chinese political philosophy
Shizhi Zhang, Linda Westman and Vanesa Castán Broto have published a paper in Political Geography that explores how classical Chinese political philosophy can contribute to contemporary debates on environmental justice (EJ) theory.
The paper starts from the premise that Chinese philosophical and political contexts offer a conceptual basis for developing new principles of environmental justice, distinct from those derived from Anglophone literature. Ideas of environmental justice are ubiquitous in socio-environmental movements, but mainstream theorizations are not applicable across all cultural contexts.
In China, conventional understandings of environmental justice do not resonate with contemporary environmental politics and practices. Yet environmental policies in China are already having differentiated social impacts, which are likely to increase as transitions deepen. This raises environmental justice questions and calls for the development of appropriate theoretical tools to enable context-relevant analyses.
Responding to this imperative, the paper analyzes the concept of justice in relation to environmental politics in pre-Qin China, revealing two distinct approaches. The first, drawing on Confucianism, is embedded in the cultivation of relational moral codes and practices of benevolent government. The second, based on Legalism, represents ideals of impartiality and the imposition of authoritarian constraints in service of the state's political agenda.
Both approaches have become embedded in Chinese sociopolitical life, with differentiated outcomes and varied manifestations over time. These theoretical entry points question the universalist aspirations of current environmental justice theory and invite a reconsideration of what environmental justice means internationally.
More information
Shizhi Zhang et al, Theorisation of environmental justice in Chinese political philosophy, Political Geography (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.polgeo.2026.103584
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Citation: Theorization of environmental justice in Chinese political philosophy (2026, July 13) retrieved 13 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-theorization-environmental-justice-chinese-political.html
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