China Justice Observer

中司观察

EnglishArabicChinese (Simplified)DutchFrenchGermanHindiItalianJapaneseKoreanPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedishHebrewIndonesianVietnameseThaiTurkishMalay

SPC Issues Judicial Policy on Carbon Peak and Neutrality

Mon, 10 Apr 2023
Categories: China Legal Trends
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
Editor: Yurou Yin 印羽柔
Save as PDF

On 16 Feb. 2023, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) issued the “Opinions on Providing Judicial Services for Actively and Steadily Promoting Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality by Fully, Accurately and Comprehensively Implementing the New Development Concept” (关于完整准确全面贯彻新发展理念 为积极稳妥推进碳达峰碳中和提供司法服务的意见).

According to the SPC in this judicial policy:

  • Chinese courts will focus on cases related to energy conservation and emission reduction, low-carbon technology, carbon trading, and sustainable finance.
  • Chinese courts will focus on cases of ecological and environmental infringement disputes over greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the infringers are entitled to voluntarily purchase China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) and write it off in the Carbon Emission Trading Market or buy other carbon sink products to offset the loss of carbon sink.
  • Chinese courts will focus on cases over carbon emission quotas and CCER trading disputes and support concluding trade contracts of carbon emissions, carbon emission quota, CCER, etc.

 

 

Cover Photo by Jillian Luo on Unsplash

 

Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team

Save as PDF

China’s Supreme People’s Court
Chinese Courts
China Legal Trends
Environmental Law

You might also like

SPC Regulates Online Judicial Auctions

In November 2024, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) issued new guidelines to regulate online judicial auctions, emphasizing transparency in property disclosures, enhanced mechanisms for judgment debtors to self-dispose of auctioned assets, and improved supervision across all auction stages to protect parties' rights and streamline enforcement procedures.

China’s First Tribunal-Ordered Interim Measure Issued in Beijing

In October 2024, an arbitral tribunal at the Beijing Arbitration Commission (BAC/BIAC) issued an interim measure based on the applicant’s request, which was later confirmed and enforced by the court through a preservation order. This is the first of its kind in China, confirming the validity of tribunal-issued interim measures and highlighting the pro-arbitration stance of Chinese courts.

SPC Releases IP Protection Cases in Seed Industry

In October 2024, China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) released key judicial protection cases to strengthen intellectual property rights in the seed industry, focusing on plant variety and breeding material disputes.

China Defines Rules for Calculating Trademark Infringement Gains

In October 2024, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) jointly issued the “Measures for Calculating Illegal Business Revenue in Trademark Infringement Cases”, which provide detailed operational guidelines for trademark enforcement authorities to calculate illegal business revenue.

SPC Releases Typical Cases on Tourism Disputes

In September 2024, China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) released five typical tourism dispute cases, including health rights disputes caused by wild monkey attacks in Mount Emei, to guide courts in resolving common tourism conflicts and safeguarding tourists' legitimate rights and interests.

China Regulates Network Data Security

China's newly adopted “Regulation on Network Data Security Management”, effective January 1, 2025, seeks to standardize data processing, strengthen personal information protection, and tackle issues such as data security, risk assessments, and personalized profiling.

Beijing & Shanghai Unveil Low-Altitude Economy Plans

Beijing and Shanghai have announced plans to develop the low-altitude economy, aiming to grow the industry to CNY 100 billion and CNY 50 billion respectively by 2027, with a focus on aerial rescue, logistics, and passenger transport.

SPC Releases Typical Antitrust Cases

In September 2024, China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) published eight typical cases on antitrust and unfair competition, highlighting issues like price-fixing, market dominance abuse, and deceptive practices.