China And International Environmental Liability

Few countries are likely to have a more important global environmental role in coming years than the People s Republic of China. Professors Faure and Song have prepared a remarkable collection of essays that provide valuable insight on one key aspect: China s engagement with issues of liability for environmental damage at the domestic and international levels. There is much to be learnt from the pages of this commendable, rich and accessible work. Philippe Sands QC, University College London and Matrix Chambers, UK This book considers the ways in which transboundary environmental pollution can be remedied through a variety of legal instruments. Particular attention is paid to the pollution of the Songhua river in China, but legal remedies to transboundary pollution are also discussed in a broader context. The focus of the book is on international environmental law and international conventions as well as the application of national environmental law in a transboundary legal context. Thus contributions also concentrate on voluntary approaches, the importance of transboundary environmental impact assessment and the application of national criminal law to transboundary pollution. Not only is transboundary pollution discussed from the perspective of international law, but also from that of the application of national law to transboundary pollution, thus centering on private law, administrative law and criminal law. As such, this book will be of great interest to academics, practitioners and students.

The approach throughout is both legal multi-disciplinary and comparative. The relevant international conventions are examined (particularly the 'Bunker Convention' of 2008), with particular attention to their implementation in China and Europe, as well as the independent US regime. In addition, detailed empirical data from well-known case studies provide important insights into the working of international and national prevention and compensation mechanisms.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this book provides ready access to legislation and practice concerning the environment in China. A general introduction covers geographic considerations, political, social and cultural aspects of environmental study, the sources and principles of environmental law, environmental legislation, and the role of public authorities. The main body of the book deals first with laws aimed directly at protecting the environment from pollution in specific areas such as air, water, waste, soil, noise, and radiation. Then, a section on nature and conservation management covers protection of natural and cultural resources such as monuments, landscapes, parks and reserves, wildlife, agriculture, forests, fish, subsoil, and minerals. Further treatment includes the application of zoning and land-use planning, rules on liability, and administrative and judicial remedies to environmental issues. There is also an analysis of the impact of international and regional legislation and treaties on environmental regulation. Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable resource for environmental lawyers handling cases affecting China. Academics and researchers, as well as business investors and the various international organizations in the field, will welcome this very useful guide, and will appreciate its value in the study of comparative environmental law and policy.

Many have pointed at the fact that the spectacular economic growth in China has come at a high price, especially concerning the environmental costs related to this growth. There is increasing literature available now, both in and outside of China on the available governance instruments that China is increasingly using in its fight against environmental pollution. Indeed, with growing economic welfare also the demand for environmental quality is increasing in China as well. An issue which received less attention so far was the ex post compensation after environmental pollution occurred. The aim of our study is not so much to look at instruments aiming at prevention of environmental harm, but to address the question to what extent victims of environmental harm can be compensated for this harm in China. The concept of victims should obviously be interpreted broadly since victims could also be the environment at large in which case the question arises to what extent for example the government or an NGO may have the right to ask remedies on behalf of the environment. The goal of our study is not only to provide an insight into the “law in the books” by sketching which instruments and remedies are available, but also to address “law in action”, by examining to what extent the various compensation mechanisms are indeed applied in practice as well. To that end we have undertaken some interviews with stakeholders in China in order to obtain information on the way in which environmental damage is being remedied. Our focus is on remedies for environmental harm. Even though the main (traditional) remedy after damage may be (monetary) compensation, in case of environmental pollution other remedies (such as restitution) may be relevant as well. Methodologically we will therefore both address available remedies on the basis of the regulatory framework, but also examine to what extent these remedies are indeed applied. Moreover, we will normatively where appropriate, also formulate a few suggestions for reform. The question of how to compensate for environmental damage has become a hot topic in China. Almost every day one now can read about cases of environmental harm with which various Chinese communities are confronted whereby almost every time the question is asked how adequate compensation for this harm can be provided. The issue is also topical given recent legislative changes in China. In December 2009 China introduced a New Tort Liability Law in which important provisions also deal with environmental liability. Moreover, even though environmental insurance markets are not yet that well developed in China increasingly both potential victims as well as industry are demanding the development of adequate insurance products to deal with environmental harm. Strikingly the only domain in which compensation seems to work adequately, not only on paper but also in practice is the domain of marine oil pollution in which international conventions have played an important role. Our paper is set up as follows: after an introduction (1) we will first focus on the role of liability rules in compensating for environmental harm (2), then we focus on insurance (3) and discuss the specific case of marine oil pollution (4). For every topic first the theoretical possibilities to provide compensation will be sketched; next the question will be addressed what role these mechanisms lay in practice. A few concluding remarks (5) will provide a summary and some policy recommendations.

This book focuses on how public and private international law address civil liability for transboundary pollution. In public international law, civil liability treaties promote the implementation of minimum procedural standards in domestic tort law. This approach implicitly relies on private international law to facilitate civil litigation against transboundary polluters. Yet this connection remains poorly understood. Filling the gap, this book engages in a meaningful dialogue between the two areas and explores how domestic private international law can reflect the policies developed in international environmental law. It begins with an investigation of civil liability in international environmental law. It then identifies preferable rules of civil jurisdiction, foreign judgments and choice of law for environmental damage, using Canadian private international law as a case study and making extensive references to European law. Liability for transboundary pollution is a contentious issue of the law, both in scholarship and practice: international lawyers both private and public as well as environmental lawyers will welcome this important work.

China has industrialized and urbanized at unprecedented scale and speed since its economic take-off began in the 1980s. It has become the world's second largest economy, but pollution has pushed the environment to the limits of its carrying capacity. Chinese Environmental Law provides a comprehensive and structured analysis of the increasingly sophisticated Chinese environmental legal regime. It examines the regulation of pollution in detail, covering key environmental statutes, policies and plans, and investigates judicial innovation in the interpretation and application of environmental legal instruments. The book presents Chinese environmental law in action and in context. By discussing key institutions and processes, readers will understand the operation of the environmental law and policy, the dynamic interactions between state and non-state actors, and the special challenges to the implementation and enforcement of environmental law in the socio-economic and political context of China.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this book provides ready access to legislation and practice concerning the environment in China. A general introduction covers geographic considerations, political, social and cultural aspects of environmental study, the sources and principles of environmental law, environmental legislation, and the role of public authorities. The main body of the book deals first with laws aimed directly at protecting the environment from pollution in specific areas such as air, water, waste, soil, noise, and radiation. Then, a section on nature and conservation management covers protection of natural and cultural resources such as monuments, landscapes, parks and reserves, wildlife, agriculture, forests, fish, subsoil, and minerals. Further treatment includes the application of zoning and land-use planning, rules on liability, and administrative and judicial remedies to environmental issues. There is also an analysis of the impact of international and regional legislation and treaties on environmental regulation. Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable resource for environmental lawyers handling cases affecting China. Academics and researchers, as well as business investors and the various international organizations in the field, will welcome this very useful guide, and will appreciate its value in the study of comparative environmental law and policy.

This book focuses on how to create an environmentally friendly society in China from the viewpoint of environmental law and policy. The authors accessed a great number of valuable sources not available in English, and interviewed various scholars and public officials, in order to analyze the environmental policies in China while comparing some of the features to Japan. The book stresses the importance of introducing a brand-new policy of central and local government, and analyses why these policies have not been executed effectively in the local society. In addition to the economy-oriented policy and spirit of the Chinese nation, which are the main causes, this book also highlights shortcomings in the inspection system, information management, and the extremely low degree of public participation as important aspects to focus on in order to tackle the current problems. The individual chapters will help readers to understand the environmental issues in China in depth, and provide guidance on resolving the issues in China and in developing countries that are now or soon will be facing the challenge of combining economic growth and environmental improvement. Air, water and soil pollution are serious challenges in China. The deterioration of the environment often leads to rioting that influences social stability, which is also a great concern to foreign investors. This book will be of interest to a professional audience such as policymakers, journalists, members of environmental NGOs, managers and employees who do business with China, as well as academic researchers and students.

Like all industrialized countries, China has encountered increasing problems with land contamination in recent years. Abandoned mining and manufacturing sites and obsolete industrial complexes, while also creating new polluting industrial enterprises, represent impending environmental threats. More importantly, a number of social and economic problems have developed and must be dealt with, in some cases urgently. Contaminated land laws and regulations have been established and have evolved in the US and UK and many other jurisdictions over the past few decades. These regimes have substantially influenced the relevant legislation in the context of numerous Asian and European countries and will inevitably benefit similar legislative efforts in China. This book is the first monograph that focuses on how China can learn from the US and UK with respect to contaminated land legislation and comprehensively illustrates how contaminated land law could be created in China. It will be of interest to academics and practitioners in environmental law in China, as well as the US and UK.