China’s Battle Against Marine Plastic Pollution at the Local Level: A Case Study of Sanya City, Hainan Province

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 forefront 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 environmental goals. Designated as a pilot for a ‘Zero Waste City’ and a ‘Model City’ for ecological civilization, Sanya has crafted regulatory approaches and enforcement mechanisms to strengthen the governance of marine plastic pollution. A critique of the effectiveness and weaknesses of Sanya’s regulatory regime holds important implications for local-level environmental governance of marine plastic pollution in China and many other parts of the world.

Keywords: environmental governance in China, marine plastic pollution, local policy implementation, Sanya