On 11 Jan. 2023, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) held a press conference to release a total of ten guiding cases on environmental public interest litigation.
Since the amendment of the PRC Civil Procedure Law in 2012, China has established a system of environmental public interest litigation in legislation. Accordingly, the organs and relevant organizations provided by law, mainly procuratorates and social organizations engaged in environmental protection, may file a lawsuit with a court against acts that harm the public interest, such as polluting the environment and infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of numerous consumers.
According to the SPC in the press conference, from 2013 to the end of 2022, Chinese courts concluded more than 16 thousand environmental public interest litigation, ecological-environmental damage compensation lawsuits, and judicial confirmation cases.
The released ten guiding cases are related to environmental pollution, ecological damage, and other acts of environmental destruction, including smuggling foreign garbage, destroying natural relics, stealing vessel sewage, illegal mining, and destroying public forests.
Cover Photo by ce xu on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
