Doctoral Researcher Ashraf Usman

The politics of environmental governance and development in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

Tieteellinen tutkimus / siihen pohjautuva työ | Nelivuotinen

What does it mean for the global environmental governance as China moves centre stage with its development programme of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? The (BRI) is a $1 trillion investment, spanning Africa and Eurasia through six economic corridors, maritime and land routes. The BRI has ushered a development paradigm of infrastructure-led development and increased natural resource extraction. The colossal size of the BRI can have detrimental impacts on the global environment. In many countries, the heat is already being felt and resultantly, environmental governance is being restructured to accommodate it. For instance, initiatives like “the green BRI” and plantation drives in many countries are aimed at offsetting the possible negative impacts of the BRI. This research focuses on one of the strategic BRI-related development initiative called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The study aims to bring out the contradictions and politics of environment-development in the BRI, by asking question e.g how the BRI is restructuring environmental governance, particularly in the global south? And, what are the implications of this development paradigm on socio-economic development and the environment? Who are the actors and institutions involved and what are their strategies and aims? This research will use different qualitative methods to enrich the analysis. It includes ethnographic work, interviews and policy analysis.