Twinning: Partnerships between European and Chinese NGOs - Social & Environmental Justice - Climate Change & Low Carbon Development

Abstract

Throughout 2015, we have witnessed turmoil in various places around the world. In the EU, the refugee crisis became the predominant challenge, sparking debate on how best to handle the influx of people and dividing member states. In China, the deadly explosion of a warehouse container storing highly toxic substances in the port of Tianjin cost the lives of more than 100 people. It also created an environmental catastrophe that raised questions about corporate responsibility in the production and storage of chemical substances, the effect of these substances on human health and their ramifications for air, soil and water pollution. These events and developments occurred on top of lingering issues already impacting our world: environmental degradation, climate change, excessive consumption, social injustice and the rise of populist sentiment.