New Steps to Handle Environmental Cases in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

Courts in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province will coordinate together to improve the quality of handling environment-related cases, the decision announced on the National Ecology Day.

“We’ll focus more on tackling major environmental cases in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and take new measures to enhance and promote regional coordinated development in environment protection and ecology,” Guo Yueqing, chief judge of the Beijing court’s environmental adjudication tribunal, told a news conference.

A memorandum of judicial protection in the field of environment and ecology was signed by Beijing No 4 Intermediate People’s Court, No 1 Intermediate People’s Court in Tianjin and the Intermediate People’s Court in Xiong’an New Area on June 4, aiming to establish more cooperation in terms of information sharing, collaboration, research and law education.

Subsequently, the courts have set up a work mechanism to regularly share new environmental risks and emerging judicial problems in the region and provide easier legal services for residents to pursue cases and attend trials.

Guo also said that more attention will be paid to solve disputes involving air, water, soil, noise and solid waste pollution, the common complaints raised by the public.

“In addition, we’ll strengthen research on environment to make case handling more efficient and raising legal awareness of public to guide them to live low-carbon lives,” said Wang Jing, vice-president of the Beijing court.