Urban energy and environmental policy: the case of Shanghai since the 2000’s

Sammanfattning: Shanghai has observed a fast economic growth since the market-oriented and Open-door reforms, which brought stress to the local and global environment. Economic growth is often coupled with environmental degradation. This thesis aims to illustrate how Shanghai is incorporating the concept of sustainable development to maintain its economic development. Following National goals of development, Shanghai developed its own environmental governance with specific objectives. The city has processed a similar approach of National governance but has attained different results. The city has adapted efficaciously its own policy by changing the structure of its economy, modifying the energy structure and increasing the share of renewable energies by allocating significant budget to meet the objectives. The governance can be defined as successful according to substantial results such as different techniques of mitigation, the decrease of energy consumption after 2013 and a better air quality. Shanghai has acted in local level of actions to implement efficacious environmental governance.