Lie-Flat Environmentalism: Navigating China’s Intellectual Narrowing in Uncertain Ecological Times

• In Event: 30409 - Sociology of Development

Abstract

As the Chinese state continues to assert itself as an increasingly dominant force in the environmental realm, it positions itself as the ultimate authority on environmental information, a powerhouse of climate expertise, a connoisseur of ecological aesthetics, and the chief architect of green solutions. While the intellectual narrowing within Chinese environmental governance is well-documented in the literature, much less is understood about how ordinary people are impacted by this shrinking intellectual landscape. How do ordinary people, particularly in the face of mounting ecological uncertainty, navigate the intellectual constriction that is taking place in contemporary China’s environmental discourse? The present study seeks to answer this question by drawing on two waves of qualitative surveys conducted in China, a decade apart, in 2014 and 2024. These surveys involved a total of 80 respondents, ranging from individuals in remote villages to those in metropolitan centers. Given the open-ended format of the qualitative surveys, each interview ranged from two and a half hours to over six hours in length. While the surveys are not intended to be representative of the entire Chinese population, the two sets of data offer valuable cross-sectional insights, enabling an appreciation of the changes that have occurred over the past decade.

Our findings sketch the contours of an emerging phenomenon we term “lie-flat environmentalism.” This posture is characterized by apathy and disengagement from environmental public affairs, manifesting as a blasé attitude toward environmental realities, a rejection of science-based reasoning, pessimism about ecological futures, and waning trust in the efficacy of environmental action. Sadly, the Chinese state’s high-interventionist approach to environmental knowledge and information has the counter-effect of alienating ordinary people from the environmental cause.

Author

• Yifei Li, New York University