The Functions And Limitations Of "Environmental Non-governmental Organizations" In The Transition Period

Since 1990s, companied with social transformation and globalization, China's reform and opening up has entered a crucial period. Given the basically established socialist market economic system, rapid economic development, and the gradual disintegration of traditional political and economic system, how to maintain the harmonious relationship between mankind and nature, human and society has become the key constraint on the reform and development. For a long time, because of the neglect of environmental issues and the one-sided pursuit of economic indicators, we have adopted a high-energy-consuming, high-emission and high-polluting way of development, as a result of which, we paid a heavy environmental cost, despite of a higher rate of economic growth during a considerable period of time. Environmental problems have become the bottleneck of our national economic and social development.Taking "Friends of Nature" as a specific case study, this article comprehensively examines the way, effect and restrictions of the practice of environmental non-governmental organizations in transition period from the perspective of civil society. Environmental non-governmental organizations refer to those non-profit non-governmental organizations engaging in environmental protection-related activities, providing public welfare or social services, as well as mutual benefits. As an important aspect of the growth of civil society, environmental non-governmental organizations will operate positively in the following ways: enhancing the environmental awareness of citizens, participating in government decision-making, monitoring actions of the governments, assisting vulnerable groups and so on, from which, China's contemporary civil society-building will also benefit. In our country with a relatively long period of feudal society and a history of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, because of the lack of democratic traditions, movements initiated from civil society certainly have obvious limitations. The growth of environmental non-governmental organizations may encounter such difficulties as insufficient funds, political restrictions, traditional cultural barriers and legal system deficiencies. Therefore, we should vigorously strengthen the building of environmental non-governmental organizations and learn from foreign nations more advanced operation mode and experience of NGOs to promote the development of China's environmental non-governmental organizations, which will also play a crucial role in harmonious society construction.