China Supreme Court Issues Interpretation for Environmental Code

The Supreme People's Court of China issued a 13-article judicial interpretation on August 6 to support the implementation of the country's Ecological and Environmental Code. The provisions, which take effect August 15, clarify how courts should transition between old and new laws, stipulating that disputes based on facts occurring before the code's effective date will generally be handled under previous legislation.

The Ecological and Environmental Code was adopted by the National People's Congress in March and contains 1,242 articles focused on low-carbon development, pollution control, and ecological protection. These measures are designed to support national pledges to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

To ensure consistency with the new code, the court conducted a comprehensive review of 26 judicial interpretations, 35 normative documents, and 45 guiding cases. According to Vice-president Yang Linping, this process resulted in the amendment of 11 judicial interpretations, the abolition of one normative document, and the removal of four guiding cases from judicial practice.