Regional Environmental Politics in Northeast Asia: Conflict and Cooperation (Politics in Asia)

The share of global CO 2 emissions from the core Northeast Asian (NEA) countries in 2015 was estimated to be as high as 33.63 percent. Representing 28.21, 3.67, and 1.75 percent of total global emissions, China, Japan, and South Korea were ranked the first, fifth, and seventh largest contributors, respectively. Some parts of China, the Republic of Mongolia, the Russian Far East, and Southeast Asia have long been on serious alert due to accelerated deforestation. With their rapid population growth and economic development, the core countries of Northeast Asia are responsible both directly and indirectly for numerous environmental problems. Urgent individual and collective action is required from the region’s governments. Against the backdrop of debate on how to understand Northeast Asia as a "region," Park focuses on the major regional economies of China, Japan, and South Korea, along with Russia, North Korea, and the Republic of Mongolia, due to both their geopolitical proximity and their significance to the region. The author attempts to answer the questions: "How far has regional environmental cooperation progressed in Northeast Asia?"; and "Why are Northeast Asian countries reluctant to cooperate further on urgent transboundary and regional environmental issues?" Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Illustrations Preface Chapter 1: Setting the scene Raising research questions Main disciplinary approaches Main questions and the scope of the project Why does environmental cooperation matter in Northeast Asia? Emerging security dynamism, multilateralism, and the rise of environmentalism Creation of constructive conflicts for positive environmental politics Explanations on the structure of the book Notes References Chapter 2: Environmental politics and regional cooperation Regionalism, regional politics, and environmental affairs Inter-stateenvironmental affairs in international relations theories Why do countries cooperate for the environment? Environment as a secondary means Ecological protection as the ultimate goal Analytical framework: the synergy between securitization, development, and environmentalism Stages of regional environmental development Conclusion Notes References Chapter 3: Regional reaction to trans-boundary air pollution and climate change in Northeast Asia Regional issues and the NEA’s interaction with the global climate regime The evolution of institutionalized regional cooperation Analysis of TEMM Ongoing disputes and the possibility of governance strengthening The politics of environmental cooperation in Northeast Asia Conflict cooperation and integration for synergy: from a loose nexus to thick symbiosis Development opportunities and ecological challenges China’s rising role in the global climate change regime and ecological implications Theoretical implications Notes References Chapter 4: Northeast Asia’s responses to biodiversity loss and the formation of regional biodiversity governance Environmental security and trans-boundary affairs concerning biodiversity Environmental security and preserving biodiversity Evolution of the NEA’s institutionalized cooperation Positioning the NEA within the process of strengthening a global biodiversity regime Indirect trans-boundary harm: the interplay between trade and the environment A green paradox: the security dilemma in the DPRK and ecological implications China–DPRK trade relationship and rising ecological concerns China’s increasing role in the regional environmental regime Leadership shift and China’s growing responsibilities in the global environmental regime Rising concerns on trans-boundary moves of e-waste(neoliberal policy failure) Positive politicization of environmental conflicts for cooperation Regional development models and the possibility of building a cooperative regime (toward the REDM Stage IV) Bypassing the region and globalizing regionalism Notes References Chapter 5: Regional political dynamics and the marine environment in Northeast Asia Ocean-induced environmental issues in Northeast Asia Situating the NEA in the global maritime regime International standards (Regional Fishery Management Organizations and IO consistency) Evolution of regional institutional development Priority to sign up to basic rules Destructive environmental conflicts: fishery disputes Overuse: disputes over resources Pollution, trans-boundaryharm, and dispute settlement Pollution Territorial sovereignty, disputes, and land reclamation in the ocean Land (mis-)use, security, and the environment Mutual reinforcement between bilateralism and multilateralism DPRK risks in the ocean The South China Sea and China’s search for new leadership Regional development models and the possibility of building a cooperative regime new global maritime order or Sinicization? Policy implications Notes References Chapter 6: Greening regional politics Responding to the main research questions Where does the Northeastern region stand? Applying the REDM Summary of findings: general analysis on the trends in the TEMM Do NEA countries still need to cooperate? Minding the gap: responding to theoretical categorization Bridging the gap: policy implications A silver lining in the cloud Concluding remarks References Annex 1 Joint Declaration on the Promotion of Tripartite Cooperation among Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea I II III IV V VI Annex 2 Joint Statement on the Tenth Anniversary of Trilateral Cooperation among the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea Annex 3 A summary of the main outcome of the TEMM Index