Top court drafts judicial interpretations for new ecological code

China's top court has detailed ongoing efforts to draft judicial interpretations for the country's newly adopted Ecological and Environmental Code, with the aim of improving case handling quality and fostering a comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society.

At a news conference on Friday, Yang Linping, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, said a series of judicial initiatives are being implemented to ensure the effective application of the code, which is set to take effect on August 15.

The code, adopted in March as China's second law titled a "code," serves as the legal cornerstone for environmental and ecological matters. The first piece titled a "code" is the Civil Code, a fundamental law for regulating civil activities, which came into force in 2021.

Yang emphasized the necessity for judges to thoroughly study the Environmental and Ecological Code to ensure the professional handling of cases related to pollution, low-carbon development and ecological conservation. She also noted that the top court has begun interpreting the code and is revising or abolishing existing regulations to align with the new code.

According to Yang, the courts will remain committed to the coordinated governance of environmental protection and ecological conservation, with more focus on the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and national parks.

She cited data showing that by the end of 2025, China had established over 2,500 tribunals and panels dedicated to environmental cases, continuously enhancing the professionalism and procedural standards of adjudication. Last year, Chinese courts concluded 229,000 first-instance environmental cases, including 24,000 criminal and 164,000 civil cases.

Judges nationwide have played a crucial role in combating air, water and soil pollution by concluding 4,906 such cases. They have also imposed severe penalties for crimes against rare wildlife and their habitats, resolving 23,000 related cases, she said.

Yang added that the court, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other authorities, has launched special campaigns targeting fraud by third-party environmental service providers, violations in vehicle emission supervision, and illegal dumping and disposal of solid waste — intensifying penalties for activities damaging the ecosystem.

She provided the example of a court in Zhejiang province which convicted a company and 10 individuals for illegally discharging waste hydrochloric acid into a lake, ordering them to pay 480 million yuan ($70.85 million) in restoration and compensation costs.