[Evaluation of environmental information disclosure by environmental agencies in China]

Environmental information disclosure is seen as a creative approach in environmental governance worldwide. Environmental Information Disclosure Decree 2008 (EIDD) was regarded as a milestone of right-to-know and public participation in environmental protection in China. Environmental information disclosure can improve the intercommunication between the government and public, and also speed up the transition from conventional government-dominated environmental regulation to a more transparent and modern environmental governance system in China. Aiming to explore the effectiveness of EIDD implementation by environmental agencies, this study conducted the website interviews, the practical information disclosure requests, and telephone interviews with officers from environmental agencies in 31 provinces, 5 cities with independent budgetary status, and 27 provincial capital cities in 2010. It is concluded that the implementation of the Environmental Information Disclosure system has been improving over past two years but still far from being widespread, full and effective. The lack of enforcement and the ambiguity of some clauses in EIDD give environmental agencies great discretion to avoid disclosure and discourage enforcement of environmental information disclosure.