UBC Allard School of Law
Coordinating Performance in International Trade and Human Rights 
Asia Pacific Dispute Resolution Program Summary Conference 
October 27th 2017

Dragon Tears
Presentation Abstract by Bérangère Maïa N. Parizeau  

In this short presentation I will be introducing my Master of Arts in Asia Pacific Policy Studies (M.A.A.P.P.S.) research and thesis, as well as the film I am currently directing “Dragon Tears.” My thesis, which is entitled “Dragon Tears: a critical analysis on the political ecology of planetary survival” examines China’s environmental collapse, human rights and health crisis, China’s policy environment and environmental legal doctrine in the context of neoliberalism, global disparity, transnational pollution, climate change, and the survival of the human species. The three case studies which constitute my analysis have been carefully chosen to synthesize the complexity of China’s environmental collapse, policy environment and enforcement capacity. My (M.A.A.P.P.S.) research has been effectuated as the core research for the production of “Dragon Tears,” a feature documentary film currently in production on the topic of China’s environmental collapse and health crisis in the context of climate change and the possibility of human extinction. “Dragon Tears” examines the context of contemporary global capitalism that has led to extreme inequality, ecological destruction, and the violent normalization of localized morbidity in China. This film demonstrates that both China’s and global ecological resilience capacities are decreasing rapidly and establishes ecological principles for a paradigm shift. I will be discussing briefly the research assistant position that was offered by Dr. Potter for one semester in China under the grant for the Asia Pacific Dispute Resolution Research project awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada under its Major Collaborative Research Initiative Program. During this semester in China, I was expected to start the production of “Dragon Tears,” under the supervision of my host supervisor Dr. Wang Xi, which I did. Dr. Wang Xi is the director of the Environmental and Resources Law Institute (ERLI) at Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. I will be showing the 3-minute preview of “Dragon Tears.”