ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to analyze the rise of environmental governance and the growth of the environmental movement in Hong Kong with reference to the literature on environmental politics. The chapter argues that the environmental governance in Hong Kong is characterized by its utilitarian and residual nature, and that it has sought to sustain political stability through the institutional absorption of contestation. However, this residual governance set-up witnessed a crisis since 1990s when environmental groups and movement grew as a result of the increasing public awareness of environmental issues, the rise of civil society, and the successful use of confrontational tactics in affecting environmental policymaking. This chapter examines the radicalization of the environmental movement by studying the establishment and activities of the Land Justice League. It contends that the increasing use of populist, insurgent practices in the environmental movement has not only heralded a new episode of environmental politics, but also presented challenges to the existing approach to handling opposition in environmental affairs.
