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  4. Environment and Resources Adjudication in China (2024)
Title in original language
中国环境资源审判 （2024）
Original language

Chinese, Simplified

Country
China
Date of text
Status
Decided
Type of court
National - higher court
Court name
Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China
Seat of court
Supreme People’s Court Headquarters, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
Reference number
N/A (Annual Report of the Supreme People’s Court; Appendix lists 2024 “Typical Environment and Resources Cases”)
Files
English: Environment and Resources Adjudication in China (2024)
Chinese: Environment and Resources Adjudication in China (2024)
Link to full text
https://judicialportal.informea.org/node/10200
Justice(s)
Multiple
Relations to MEAs
Convention on Biological Diversity
Ramsar Convention
Basel Convention
Stockholm Convention
Relations to SDGs
Target 12.4
Target 12.5
Target 13.1
Target 13.2
Target 14.1
Target 14.2
Target 15.1
Target 15.5
Target 15.7
Target 15.8
Target 16.3
Target 16.6
Abstract
This annual report, issued by the Supreme People’s Court on 1 June 2025, reviews China’s environment and resources adjudication during 2024. It highlights the continued implementation of the “three-in-one” mechanism integrating criminal, civil, and administrative justice, and the growing use of expert evidence and cross-regional jurisdiction for ecological cases. The report emphasises pollution control, ecological restoration, biodiversity protection, and the integration of carbon-market and climate-related disputes into judicial practice. It also records progress in public-interest litigation, environmental damage compensation, and international cooperation with UNEP and other partners to advance environmental rule of law and sustainable development.
Key environmental legal questions
How courts apply the “three-in-one” model to coordinate criminal, civil, and administrative responsibilities in environmental governance. How scientific and expert evidence is used to improve fact-finding and decision-making in ecological and climate-related cases. How cross-regional and watershed jurisdiction enhances effective protection and restoration of ecosystems. How judicial mechanisms ensure accountability and enforcement in environmental public-interest litigation and ecological compensation. How Chinese courts are beginning to address disputes related to carbon markets and climate obligations. How cooperation with UNEP and international partners promotes the rule of law for sustainable development.