China unveils draft environmental code

An aerial drone photo shows a view of Xin'an River Scenic Area in Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, March 22, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is poised for a significant enhancement in its green efforts as a draft of the country's first-ever environmental code was unveiled on Sunday.

The draft, submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) for a first reading, comprises 1,188 articles in five chapters including the general provisions, pollution prevention and control, ecological protection, green and low-carbon development, legal liability and supplementary provisions.

Once adopted, it will become China's second formal statutory code, after the Civil Code, which was adopted in 2020. The compilation of the environmental code was initiated in 2023.

China formulated its first environmental protection law in 1979. Ever since, the country has rapidly advanced its legislation on environmental protection. Today, China boasts over 30 laws, more than 100 administrative regulations and numerous other legal documents in this field, forming a relatively comprehensive legal framework.

The compilation of the code facilitates the systematic integration of legislation, fills gaps in the legal framework, elevates the status and authority of eco-environmental laws, and makes their enforcement and compliance more convenient, said Wang Canfa, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law.

China has long been a champion of green development. After decades of sustained efforts, the country has emerged as a global leader in improving air quality and expanding forest resources.

In 2024, China saw significant improvements in its air quality. The average concentration of PM2.5 in cities at or above the prefecture level was 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, a year-on-year decrease of 2.7 percent. The country is also home to the world's largest total human-made forest area. In 2024 alone, China planted 4.45 million hectares of trees and improved 3.22 million hectares of grassland.

However, the country's drive to strengthen ecological conservation remains at a critical stage, facing considerable challenges, and the mission to build a Beautiful China and advance modernization in harmony with nature still requires significant and sustained efforts, Shen Chunyao, director of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said on Sunday during an ongoing session of the top legislature when explaining the necessity of the draft code to lawmakers.

During the session, scheduled from April 27 to 30, the lawmakers will review the draft environmental code, and other legislative bills.

The draft outlines China's overall requirements for green and low-carbon development. It establishes principles and guiding provisions on issues related to climate change and carbon peaking and neutrality goals, giving full consideration to both international and domestic situations and the need for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

China will also engage in international cooperation on climate change, participate in, contribute to, and lead global climate governance efforts, according to the draft.

"Addressing climate change is a global challenge," said Zhang Zhongmin, a professor at the law school of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. He added that the draft balances both international and domestic efforts, emphasizes mitigation and adaptation, and includes provisions for international cooperation, which will help enhance its international influence.

The draft also includes provisions for preventing and controlling pollution in various fields, specifically addressing air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, as well as issues related to solid waste, noise, radioactive pollution sources, chemical substances, electromagnetic radiation, and light pollution.

The ecological protection chapter of the draft emphasizes the importance of safeguarding ecosystems, specifying that the country will enhance conservation efforts for forests, grasslands, wetlands, seas and marine islands, rivers, lakes, deserts, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and croplands. It also calls for the advancement of major projects focused on protecting and restoring key ecosystems.

"The promulgation and implementation of the code will promote the integrated protection of air, water, soil, and biodiversity, as well as the coordinated management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts," Wang said.

China's environmental law codification seeks to strike a balance between economic and social development and environmental protection, in contrast to some countries that focus primarily on either environmental preservation or economic gains, Wang said.

Speaking to the media, Lyu Zhongmei, vice chairperson of the NPC Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee, said that China's environmental code should be rooted in the country's national conditions, while also drawing on best practices and learning from the experiences of the codification efforts of other nations.

"Having a separate chapter on green and low-carbon development is something that has never been done in other countries, and it is a significant feature of China's ecological environmental code," said Lyu. "This highlights the important value of our efforts in compiling this code, which is to implement the new development philosophy."

Highlighting the code's global significance, Lyu said that, based on the fundamental concept of sustainable development, the code will become a landmark achievement in global ecological progress, offering a legislative model for other countries to follow and leading the way in the development of ecological law worldwide.