With the annual publication of the China Environment Yearbook by Friends of Nature, China’s environmental situation is revealed through the eyes of civil society. In this fifth volume, key issues affecting China’s environment in the year 2009 are explored through five main themes: Public Policy, Litigation, Pollution and Health, Consumption, and Ecological Protection. The year 2009 began with the global financial crisis and ended with the frustration of the climate change conference in Copenhagen. In this context, issues surrounding citizens’ rights and the state’s responsibility are discussed by environmentalists, scholars, lawyers, and journalists. Other topics covered in the China Environment Yearbook, Volume 5 include green growth from the financial stimulus package, resource development in western regions, protests against waste incineration power plants, water consumption in Beijing, pollution related lawsuits, giant panda protection, and several alarming environmental and health related incidents, including toxic wastewater in Yancheng and elevated blood lead levels in children.