ABSTRACT
From its antiquity, China has transformed and attempted to control its environment to meet its needs. Its geographical position and large population made it frequently susceptible to natural disasters such as droughts and floods. While it is clear that without China there can be no successful response to the climate crisis, this nation more than others will need to quickly decarbonize, embrace notions of sustainability all across its Five-Year Plans (FYP) and begin to robustly tackle the ecological destruction that it has caused itself and others. While Mao's time in power wreaked havoc on the environment, it must also be noted that his government, while seeking to transform the land, the people and the production model through an ongoing revolutionary process, utilized mass mobilization to attempt to address certain urban and health issues plaguing the country. Finally, China took a clear stance on assuring the right of developing countries to develop first and address their environmental challenges one by one.
