China's Top Judicial Body Asks Local Courts to Accept More Environmental Cases

摘要

China's top judicial body called on local courts to accept more environmental cases and to make "better decisions" to protect the country's natural resources. Jiang Bixin, vice president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), said China has to "improve the ecological environment at the judicial level, to truly defend the environmental rights of the people and ensure the protection of natural resources and the environment." His June 2 comments coincided with a notice from the high court about expanding the traditional role of China's courts in promoting green development and environmental protection. The SPC specified four categories of environmental cases that it said courts should accept: cases where pollution prevention and treatment were not followed correctly, those involving development and utilization of natural resources, cases related to climate change policies, and those regarding compensation for environmental damage.