China’s top court wants green tribunals

In a move to reduce the influence of local governments over the judiciary in environment- and resource- related cases, China’s top court wants all such cases to be heard by green tribunals. The tribunals should be set up according to the location of habitats and these should hear all cases concerning similar ecological regions irrespective of the administrative area they fall in, said the Supreme People’s Court on July 3, according to media reports.

Cases related to the ecological areas usually span more than one administrative region. This would make green tribunals more effective in dealing with such cases. Guizhou province, for example, has been divided into four ecological regions with four courts.  

The Supreme People’s Court had also set up a department to guide environmental cases last month and has asked lower courts around the country to do the same. The court will also help the provinces in establishing cross-regional administrative tribunals.