Exploring the Role and Impact of NGOs in Environmental Protection

in the Global Context

Boyuan Zhang

School of Social Work, China University of Labor Relations, Beijing, China

Keywords: NGO Organizations, Environmental Governance, Decarbonization.

Abstract: The current global environment is facing greenhouse gases and various threats, which may seriously damage

the ecological environment of the earth and threaten the future survival of humanity. With the increasing

attention to environmental protection issues and their urgent need to be addressed by governments around the

world. Macro level regulation and subjectivity are led by governments of various countries, while non-

governmental organizations guide the public to enhance the breadth of citizen participation. NGOs refer to

various voluntary groups, social organizations, and civil associations outside of government departments and

non-profit enterprises (market sectors). NGO organizations have advocated extensively and promoted the

implementation of diverse environmental protection policies by the government, providing supervision and

regulation to government departments, and utilizing their high professionalism to assist in the formulation of

government policies. NGOs are the most important third-party participants in promoting environmental

protection knowledge to the public and providing channels for citizen participation. This article explores the

identity and role that NGOs can play in environmental protection by conducting in-depth research and

interpretation of the aforementioned functions.

1 INTRODUCTION

With the continuous development of the global

economy and the continuous improvement of the

global industrialization level, the increase of carbon

emissions and other harmful environmental

substances has become an issue that cannot be

ignored. This trend has led to the frequent occurrence

of extreme weather events and other climate disasters

(Baldwin, J. W., Dessy, J. B., Vecchi, G. A., &

Oppenheimer, M,2019). According to predictions,

without any intervention, global temperatures could

rise by two degrees by the end of this century, leading

to glacier melting and sea level rise at the poles,

causing devastating impacts on the global ecosystem.

Governments around the world have gradually

recognized the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on

the environment and the urgency of addressing them,

and have taken active measures to respond, such as

participating in and signing the Paris Climate

Agreement to jointly face the current climate threat. In

addition, environmental protection issues are

becoming increasingly diverse, not limited to reducing

pollution, but also covering multiple aspects such as

ecosystem protection, restoration of the ecological

environment, and promotion of sustainable

development.

In the process of formulating and implementing

environmental protection policies, the government

plays a core role as a macro entity, and the specific

practice of environmental protection requires the

public to cultivate and practice environmentally

friendly habits in their daily lives. However, despite

the increasing public attention to environmental

protection, there is a lack of channels for acquiring

relevant knowledge and effective ways to participate

in environmental protection, resulting in insufficient

popularity and public participation in environmental

protection issues. In this context, non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) have played an indispensable

role as important third-party forces in environmental

protection issues..

NGOs effectively promote the development of

environmental protection by monitoring government

actions, advocating and promoting among the public,

providing professional guidance and services, and

offering reliable sources of environmental protection

knowledge and channels for the public. Based on this

background, this article aims to explore in depth the

specific role played by NGOs in the context of

Zhang, B.

Exploring the Role and Impact of NGOs in Environmental Protection in the Global Context.

DOI: 10.5220/0013996700004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 601-606

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

601

increasing attention to global environmental

protection issues. Through this study, the aim is to

provide clear references for the wider participation of

NGOs in environmental protection issues in the future

and to help NGOs find their positioning and role in

participating in similar issues more clearly. The

research objective of this article is to explore and

elaborate on the operational mechanisms of NGO

organizations, analyze how these mechanisms can be

effective in environmental protection issues, and look

forward to the possible contributions of NGOs in the

field of environmental protection in the future, to

further promote the vigorous development of global

environmental protection(Princen, T., Finger, M., &

Finger, M,1994).

2 DEFINITION AND

CHARACTERISTICS OF NGOs

2.1 Definition of NGO

“Non profit organizations "usually refer to various

voluntary groups, social organizations, and civil

associations outside of enterprises (market sectors)

that are neither government departments nor profit-

oriented. The collection of these organizations

constitutes the 'non-profit sector', also known as the

'third sector', which, together with government and

market sectors, forms the three pillars of modern

society. Although some scholars believe that the scope

covered by the "third sector" and the "non-profit

sector" is not the same, these two concepts are often

used interchangeably. Nowadays, the most widely

accepted definition of non-profit organizations is the

"Structure Operation Definition" recommended by the

Johns Hopkins University Center for Comparative

Research on Non-Profit Organizations, which holds

that any organization that meets the five

characteristics of organizational, civil, non-profit,

autonomous, and voluntary can be considered a non-

profit organization. The current definition of NGOs in

the United States is somewhat confusing, and the

public is not clear about the concepts and differences

between NGOs and NPOs. However, they can still be

distinguished by community and noncommunity, with

NPOs providing services in the community and NGOs

in others (Morris,2000).

2.2 Characteristics of NGOs

NGO organizations have five common

characteristics, the first of which is organizational

nature. Organizational structure is reflected in having

clear internal rules and regulations, responsible

persons, and continuous activity arrangements. Those

collections that lack formal structure and are only

composed of temporary groups do not meet the

standards of non-profit organizations. Nonprofit

organizations should have a legal identity registered

under national laws to have contractual rights and

hold their managers accountable for the

organization's commitments. The second point is folk

nature. Nonprofit organizations are not part of the

government, nor are they led by a board of directors

led by government officials. However, this does not

prevent non-profit organizations from receiving

government funding support. The third point is

nonprofit distribution. Nonprofit organizations do not

accumulate profits for their owners. Nonprofit

organizations can make profits, but the proceeds must

continue to be used for the organization's mission,

rather than being distributed among its members

(originally the founders of the organization). The

fourth point is autonomy. Nonprofit organizations

have control over their activities, and their internal

management procedures are independent of external

intervention, ensuring the independence and

autonomy of organizational decision-making. The

fifth point is voluntariness (Morris,2000) . There is a

significant degree of voluntary participation in both

actual activities and organizational management.

Especially the formation of a board of directors

composed of volunteers and the widespread use of

volunteer workers(Salamon, L. M., Sokolowski, S.

W., & List, R,2004).

3 THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF NGOs

IN GLOBAL

DECARBONIZATION

3.1 Advocacy and Policy Promotion

Against the backdrop of global environmental

protection and other issues being increasingly valued

by governments around the world, environmental

NGOs have played a key role in promoting the

formulation and implementation of relevant policies.

Taking the introduction of policies as an example,

environmental NGOs not only promote the

introduction of policies but also affect their

implementation. During the project, environmental

NGOs will continuously advocate and promote the

concept and knowledge of green environmental

protection, such as a simple and moderate lifestyle

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and green travel habits. While improving the

ecological environment through this advocacy role, it

is also possible to influence the local people's

concepts and enhance their green awareness through

this project. This will enable them to have a stronger

sense of being citizens and participating in

environmental protection as individuals, and thus pay

more attention to the corresponding environmental

policies established by local governments. They can

also participate in dialogue and communication with

the government, forming exchanges and cooperation

among the public, NGO organizations, and

government, and better promoting environmental

protection and future development. For example, the

"Air Conditioning Temperature Adjustment and

Energy Conservation Action" in 2006 was advocated

and guided by NGOs, which had a great impact across

the country, making citizens aware of the importance

of environmental protection and participating in it

(Yao,2020). At the same time, there are a large

number of professionals with professional knowledge

in NGO organizations. When the government

formulates corresponding policies, they will

extensively communicate and exchange ideas with

NGO organizations to ensure the effectiveness and

implement ability of policies in various aspects to

achieve the expected results. At the same time, NGO

organizations pay more attention to environmental

issues in society, widely voice their opinions, and

communicate with government agencies to put

forward their own opinions on environmental

problems and promote the government to introduce

corresponding policies, thereby achieving the effect

of protecting the environment.

3.2 Public Education and Awareness

Enhancement

With the continuous development of the economy,

environmental issues are gradually being taken

seriously by governments around the world. At the

same time, the public's understanding of

environmental issues and awareness of

environmental protection have gradually become the

most important components of future environmental

governance. NGOs are the grassroots channels for

promoting public issues, complementing government

propaganda and policies, and jointly building the

overall framework of public environmental

knowledge. NGOs influence and guide public opinion

through daily methods such as preaching, organizing

related activities, and utilizing online media, enabling

the public to acquire more knowledge about

environmental protection and participate more

closely in environmental protection issues. In recent

years, NGOs have successfully participated in a

variety of environmental protection issues as non-

governmental organizations, such as writing articles

and participating in the issue of "green peacock

protection" as a media, which has aroused widespread

public recognition and promoted people's discussion

and participation in the issue on the Internet,

prompted the news media to pay attention to the

situation and report on it, and finally got the

understanding of relevant parts and conducted official

governance on this phenomenon (Mei,2021). In

addition, on the issue of decarbonization and

emission reduction, NGOs such as the Energy

Foundation and the China Environmental Protection

Federation are gradually promoting public

participation and awareness on this issue, using NGO

education to spread and influence, allowing more

people to participate in carbon reduction and emission

reduction.

3.3 Supervision and Evaluation

The government, as the main body of policymaking

and promulgation, is responsible for guiding and

implementing corresponding environmental policies.

However, without suitable carriers to assist in

implementing these policies and supervising their

implementation, the feasibility of many policies may

not be outstanding. Environmental NGOs, as third-

party entities, have great advantages in embedding

themselves in this environmental governance system.

Firstly, NGOs are independent and autonomous

systems with non-profit characteristics. This

characteristic and advantage of the system enable

NGOs to greatly reduce their desires and needs for

interests in participating in environmental

governance issues and focus more on public interests.

Secondly, members of environmental NGOs

generally have higher levels of professionalism, and

their expertise and legal literacy in the field of

environmental governance enable them to participate

in environmental governance issues with greater

specialization and legal literacy. At the same time,

NGOs have a broader mass base and strong social

mobilization capabilities. Under various conditions,

NGO organizations are the most suitable third-party

entities with non-profit, non-governmental, public

welfare, and professional characteristics to evaluate

and supervise policies issued by the government,

make their judgments on the current situation,

provide their opinions on policies that have not been

implemented or have been implemented, and

Exploring the Role and Impact of NGOs in Environmental Protection in the Global Context

603

supervise the implementation status (Yang, Zhu,

2021).

4 THE CURRENT SITUATION

AND CHALLENGES OF NGOs

IN PARTICIPATING IN

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

4.1 Current Status of Climate Change

Issues

The current state of climate change is mainly

manifested by sustained global temperature rise,

rising sea levels, increasing extreme weather events,

and ecosystem destruction. In recent years, China has

gained a clearer understanding of the severity of

climate change and has taken a series of measures to

address the negative impacts it brings. On July 4,

2024, China released the "Blue Book on Climate

Change in China (2024)", which reflects the global

and Chinese climate change situation, pointing out

that China is a sensitive and significantly affected

area of global climate change, with a warming rate

higher than the global level during the same period.

At the same time, China's annual average temperature

has also reached a new high. To alleviate such

problems, China had already set the goals of "dual

carbon" as early as 2020, namely "peak carbon

emissions by 2030" and "carbon neutrality" by 2060.

Under the green, environmentally friendly, and low-

carbon lifestyle advocated by these goals, China will

accelerate the pace of reducing carbon emissions,

guide green technology innovation, and vigorously

develop renewable energy.

4.2 Current Status and Remaining

Issues of NGO Organizations'

Participation in Climate Change

Work

4.2.1 Current Situation

In recent years, the participation of Chinese NGOs in

addressing climate change has been increasing, and

their involvement in projects has become more

diverse. They have not only made outstanding

contributions to helping the government manage

public affairs but also provided personalized and

diversified services that the government cannot

achieve (Jiang, Huang, Gao, 2022). In the "Research

Report on Multi-Issue Public Welfare Organizations'

Response to Climate Change" by the United Green

Foundation, it can be seen that although there are

many public welfare organizations, due to the serious

climate problems currently faced, most of them take

climate action spontaneously or consciously. 93.9%

of the core business of the organizations is related to

climate change, as shown in Figure 1. In addition,

NGO organizations have extensive communication

and exchanges with relevant government

departments, actively participating in the formulation

and revision of climate policies, promoting the

government to introduce more effective policies to

address climate change, and actively responding to

and participating in the promotion and publicity of the

dual carbon policy. At the same time, these

organizations have also been heavily involved in

educational activities and publicity work, giving the

public a stronger sense of crisis regarding climate

change issues. At the local level, NGOs have

implemented a series of climate adaptation and

emission reduction measures, such as afforestation,

promoting green emission reduction, and promoting

renewable energy. These projects not only effectively

improve the ecological environment, but also bring

practical benefits to the local area. Finally, Chinese

NGOs are also exchanging experiences and sharing

technologies with organizations in other countries

and regions, working together at a global level to

address the important issue of climate change.

4.2.2 Difficulties

Although the current process of NGOs participating

in climate change work is gradually improving, there

are still some practical problems. As mentioned

earlier, the diversity of practices involved in climate

change work is increasing, but there is also a certain

degree of imbalance. Some of the responses are

towards a direction where there are few public

welfare organizations involved.

In addition, NGOs' participation in climate change

work faces serious limitations in fundraising or

funding itself. In the research report of the United

Green Foundation, it is stated that the fundraising

channels and scale of public welfare organizations are

very limited. One-third of organizations have not yet

started climate-specific funding. Among the

institutions that have already raised funds, 1/4 of the

organizations have an annual climate funding amount

of less than 50000 yuan. Most organizations indicate

that the main difficulty is financial instability.

However, some public welfare organizations that

have already taken climate action are facing

difficulties in finding effective ways to integrate and

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deepen their work topics with climate issues. This is

also considered by most organizations as the most

serious problem in their subsequent development and

participation in climate change issues. At the same

time, research on grassroots NGOs further reveals

that in addition to funding shortages, the lack of

power resources is another major challenge faced by

some NGOs when participating in social governance

issues. For some NGOs, they rely on government

authorization to conduct environmental research,

evidence collection, and other aspects of governance

information collection. However, many NGOs that

attempt to move towards and participate in

environmental governance, although having higher

autonomy and flexibility compared to some NGOs

that rely on government resources, still find it difficult

to participate in the supervision process of

environmental governance in the context of a lack of

power resources, resulting in almost no supervisory

power (Li, Wang, Hu, 2023).

At the same time, China's participation in

environmental protection issues is just beginning.

Even though the country has invested a lot of energy

in the field of environmental protection, there are still

shortcomings in the support and coordination of some

policies. Some policies are unclear and deviate from

actual implementation, which limits the participation

and work efficiency of NGOs. From the perspective

of the public, environmental issues have become

increasingly prominent in recent years, but overall

citizens' attention and participation in climate change

are still low. Differences in overall willingness and

understanding also pose problems and challenges for

local NGOs in the promotion process (Liu, 2019).

5 CONCLUSION

In the previous discussion, it can be seen that NGOs

play a crucial role as the most important third-party

entity in environmental protection issues. In

communication with the government, environmental

NGOs can provide more favorable media for the

government's policy formulation. They can

participate in the formulation of government policies

through their professional advantages, and then use a

third-party perspective to evaluate the effectiveness

of policy implementation and analyze and judge the

problems encountered during implementation to

promote subsequent improvement and development.

This article holds a more positive attitude towards

the future development of environmental NGOs, and

believes that NGO organizations will have more

influence among the public to promote global

environmental protection. Non governmental

organizations (NGOs) are highly influential and the

primary channel for citizens to participate in

environmental protection issues. In the promotion of

environmental protection issues, NGOs will

extensively publicize and educate on current

environmental problems, promoting public

understanding of the environmental challenges faced

by the environment. Simultaneously providing a

channel for citizens to participate in environmental

protection issues, thereby making the future field of

environmental protection more accessible to the

public.

However, NGOs focused on environmental

protection still face many challenges at present. For

example, some NGOs face great difficulties in

funding and fundraising, which makes it difficult for

some NGOs to perform their functions and play their

due roles. In addition, some NGOs have difficulty

implementing their role in monitoring and evaluating

the government due to the lack of corresponding

government-level connections, resulting in

insufficient participation in public affairs. Although

environmental protection issues are receiving

increasing attention and importance from the public,

the overall level of attention is still relatively low

compared to some popular topics. Therefore, the level

of attention from the public may also be a problem for

NGOs in their future development.

The current global environmental protection

industry is flourishing, and the work of environmental

protection is arduous and the road ahead is long. In

the future work process, more problems and

challenges will inevitably be encountered. Faced with

these challenges, NGOs in various countries are

seeking new solutions, including strengthening

cooperation with government departments and

enterprises, seeking more international aid and

resource support, and enhancing public participation

through innovative ways. Through continuous

efforts, NGOs hope to more effectively address

climate change in the future and contribute more to

global sustainable development.

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