China’s Environmental Conflict Governance Under The Perspective Of Conflict Transformation

In recent years, environmental conflicts caused by environmental problems have increased gradually. Environmental conflict here refers to public conflict of environmental field caused by such problems as environmental pollution, and it doesn’t refer to conflicts between human and natural resources. Environmental conflicts occur constantly and cause a series of social problems, such as the populace ring-fencing enterprise’s gate for local enterprises causing environmental pollution, traffic jams, physical confrontation between enterprise’s security staff and the populace, the populace’s street protests and network mobilization for worrying about proposed chemical projects and waste incineration producing pollution, which affect the populace’s normal life order. Environmental conflicts mainly refer to three stakeholders that are the government, enterprises and the populace, so the relationship between them has been challenged.At present, the governmental public sectors are main bodies to resolve the conflicts, and the governmental public sectors have obtained certain effects in the process of resolving environmental conflicts, such as temporarily easing conflicts、 preventing the sustaining of conflict、 eliminating a certain degree of conflict energy. But the resolution of China’s environmental conflicts is facing a series of predicaments from the angle of practices, such as body predicament of government falling into the universal character, issues predicament of appeals relatively concentrated, structure predicament of the populace being lack of trust to enterprises government、environmental NGOs, way predicament of modern network leading to negative news, context predicament of lack of environmental law and weak environmental consciousness. Therefore, the resolution of environmental conflict needs the emergence of new ideas, and conflict transformation theory has certain pertinence and effects to resolve. To this end, the author has made some analyses to China’s environmental conflict governance from the perspective of conflict transformation level.This study makes analyses about how conflict transformation should provide conditions for the resolution of environmental conflicts, mainly from the angle of five levels of conflict transformation. The author makes relevant analyses from five aspects of actors transformation、issues transformation、structure transformation、 way transformation、context transformation, which are specific performances for actors transformation of environmental conflicts、issues transformation of environmental conflicts、structure transformation of environmental conflicts、way transformation of environmental conflicts、context transformation of environmental conflicts.Actors transformation of environmental conflicts is discussed, which puts government、enterprises、the populace as three major stakeholders and each actor’s role transformation as the research angle of view. This study discusses the aim of transforming the actors of environmental conflicts, the means of actors transformation of environmental conflicts, and does relative analyses combining with typical cases. In order to resolve environmental conflicts effectively, the government as the main actor, should be converted from direct conflict parties or potential conflict parties into dialogists、negotiation negotiators、environment monitor、information promulgators; enterprises as the main actor, should be converted from direct conflict parties or potential conflict parties into dialogists、negotiation negotiatos、social responsibility undertaker; the populace as the main actor, should be converted from direct conflict parties or potential conflict parties into dialogists、supervisors、environmental impact assessment participants、environmental policy-making participants.Issues transformation of environmental conflicts is mainly discussed from the issues concerned by the actors. This study discusses the aim of transforming the issues of environmental conflicts、the means of issues transformation of environmental conflicts, and does the analyses combining with cases. In order to resolve environmental conflicts effectively, and to resolve the energy of environmental conflicts, single concerned issues of environmental conflicts should be transformed into multiple issues with enforceability, which is that we transform the issue of the populace protecting environmental rights and interests into the action of protecting environment and governing environment by enterprises、government、the populace, and that we transform the issue of the populace protecting environmental rights and interests into the action of compensating the populace by government and enterprises and of reforming community by each actor; at the same time, competitive issues of environmental conflicts should be transformed into constructive or compromised issues, which is that we transform the behavior of shutting down enterprises into the action of enterprises governing environment.Structure transformation of environmental conflicts is discussed mainly from the three aspects of participant structure, relationship structure and power structure. This study discusses the aim of transforming the structure of environmental conflicts、the means of structure transformation of environmental conflicts, and does the analyses combining with cases. In the process of participant structure transformation, the participants should be transformed from government、enterprises、the populace into government enterprises、the populace、environmental NGOs、the media、experts and scholars、pollutants appraisal institutions, etc.; in the process of relationship structure transformation, the relationship between government and the populace should be transformed into the relationship between enterprises and the populace, and the relationship among government%enterprises and the populace should be transformed into the relationship among government enterprises and environmental NGOs; in the process of power structure transformation, the populace’s environmental rights should be guaranteed, and the status and rights of environmental NGOs should be confirmed and guaranteed.Way transformation of environmental conflicts is discussed mainly from the use of rational way and modern way. This study discusses the aim of transforming the ways of environmental conflicts、the path of way transformation of environmental conflicts, and does the analyses combining with cases. In order to achieve the transformation from nastic way to rational way, we must increase the populace’s knowledge of environmental protection, and lead the populace to maintain rights rationally; In order to achieve the transformation from traditional way to the coexistence of traditional way and modern way, we must give play to the positive role of the network through government’s specification and guidance, enterprises’ correct use and the populace’s order participation.Context transformation of environmental conflicts is discussed mainly from the three aspects of policy context, legal context and cultural context. This study discusses the aim of transforming the contexts of environmental conflicts、the means of context transformation of environmental conflicts, and does the analyses combining with typical cases. To transform environmental policy context, we must perfect ecological protection mechanism、environmental regulation policy system and incentive mechanism; To transform environmental legal context, we have to enhance the rank of the environmental protection law, and perfect environmental management and legal system; To transform environmental cultural context, we should develop environmental consciousness of social public、cultivate environmental consciousness of enterprises、encourage the populace to participate in environmental culture construction and improve the legal system of environmental protection.