One railway, many environmental problems: volumetric scalar politics of the China–Laos Railway

Abstract

This paper examines the dynamics of environmental governance along the China–Laos railway’s Yuxi-Mohan section (YMR). With a volumetric scalar politics framework, our analysis reveals multiple scale mismatches and (re)scaling efforts in YMR’s multidimensional environmental impacts and governance. Downscaling of governance responsibilities exclusively by government and corporate actors results in fragmentation and scale mismatches. The mismatches, in turn, drive local communities to upscale and reconfigure governance to address unassigned responsibilities. This research contributes to environmental studies by unpacking the spatiality of environmental impacts and governance and broadens Global China studies by critiquing the interactions between international engagements and domestic environments.