China in Africa policy briefing: China’s environmental footprint in Africa

Along with its economic presence, China has rapidly expanded its environmental footprint in Africa. This policy brief discusses and analyses the concerns about the impacts of China’s economic expansion on Africa’s environment.

Concerns over China’s environmental footprint in Africa have arisen for at least five reasons:

• china’s investments in Africa are concentrated in sectors that are environmentally sensitive (such as oil and gas exploration, mining, hydropower and timber extraction), and in infrastructure projects that help to facilitate environmentally sensitive investments
• China’s strategy of making previously inaccessible resources accessible compounds the risks associated with these sectors
  
• China’s domestic policies have prioritised economic growth over the protection of the environment, often with harrowing results. The Chinese government has set in place laws, regulations and institutions to protect the environment, but with limited success
• major Chinese investors, financiers and equipment suppliers have so far not adopted standards set by  international financial institutions, or have developed policies that are not necessarily in line with international standards.
• China’s economic expansion in Africa has added to Western concerns that the country’s rapid economic growth will put a heavy strain on the world’s resources and the global environment.

The author argue that Africa will benefit from a continued strengthening of its co-operation with China, but not at the cost of environmental destruction.

The policy brief concludes that:

• although China has begun the process of establishing guidelines for overseas investments, given the speed of its global expansion, these guidelines will need to become more comprehensive and deepened through binding regulations
• African governments can learn from China’s experience by being selective in the types of investments that they invite and by making sure that they do not undermine the long-term environmental foundations of growth and prosperity
• Western governments will become more credible in expressing concerns regarding the environment and good governance if they uphold and strengthen the standards ruling their own overseas investments.