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China’s Battle against Marine Plastic Pollution at the Local Level: A Case Study of Sanya City, Hainan Province
Summary
Researchers examined local-level marine plastic pollution governance in China using Sanya City in Hainan Province as a case study, assessing regulatory approaches and enforcement mechanisms for achieving national environmental goals. The analysis found that Sanya's 'Zero Waste City' and 'Model City' designations drove innovation in plastic governance, while also revealing important weaknesses in local implementation capacity.
Abstract In the face of a rapidly unfolding marine plastic pollution crisis, China, the world’s largest plastic producer and consumer, has been thrust to the fore-front to regulate the growing plastic problem in stewardship of ecosystems. While a growing body of literature discusses China’s central-level efforts in addressing marine plastic pollution, a thorough overview of actions at the local level remains scant. This article uses Sanya City in Hainan Province as a case study to assess the local government’s capacity to formulate and implement environmental policies in achieving nationally set environmen-tal goals. Designated as a pilot for a ‘Zero Waste City’ and a ‘Model City’ for ecological civilization, Sanya has crafted regulatory approaches and en-forcement mechanisms to strengthen the governance of marine plastic pol-lution. A critique of the effectiveness and weaknesses of Sanya’s regulatory regime holds important implications for local-level environmental govern-ance of marine plastic pollution in China and many other parts of the world.