The country's first climate change judicial response research center was officially unveiled
On the morning of June 5, the Sichuan Province Higher People's Court, in conjunction with the Sichuan Province Department of Ecology and Environment, relying on the Chengdu Environmental Resources Tribunal and the Sichuan Province Environmental Policy Research and Planning Institute, established the country's first "Climate Change Judicial Response Research Center" at the Yongxing Laboratory of the Central Legal District of Tianfu, Sichuan.
The reporter learned at the unveiling ceremony that the establishment of the "Climate Change Judicial Response Research Center" is a key project in the construction of the Tianfu Central Legal District. After the establishment of the "Climate Change Judicial Response Research Center", it will be managed by the Chengdu Environmental Resources Tribunal and the Sichuan Province Environmental Policy Research and Planning Institute, and will rely on the Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory Pollution Reduction and Carbon Reduction Research Center to carry out policy and legal research in the field of climate change. Through the strong team of technical, policy, and legal research experts gathered by the Climate Center and the important supporting role of the legal district, the whole system will be integrated and the whole process will be cultivated. Regularly incubate the results of environmental justice and environmental policy, and continuously enhance the influence of justice in environmental protection and sustainable development.
Zhang Neng, member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the Higher People's Court of Sichuan Province, said that in recent years, Sichuan courts have achieved certain results in judicial response to climate change, and the establishment of the "Climate Change Judicial Response Research Center" marks a new step in Sichuan courts 'judicial response to climate change.
He emphasized that it is necessary to improve our political stance, deeply understand the importance of judicial responses to climate change, actively explore judicial means of mitigation and adaptation, and effectively respond to climate change risks and challenges. It is necessary to anchor goals and tasks, fairly, efficiently and steadily hear cases involving climate change such as energy conservation and emission reduction, carbon trading, low-carbon technologies, and green finance, and promote the realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. It is necessary to adhere to overall planning and coordination, give full play to the agglomeration effect advantages of the Central Legal District, conduct in-depth research on major theoretical and practical issues in judicial response to climate change, and comprehensively improve judicial response capabilities to climate change.
"Research centers should give full play to their professional advantages and platform functions, absorb experts from legislative, law enforcement, judicial agencies and societies, universities, scientific research institutions, etc., build an expert database, and enrich the output of research results. It is necessary to strengthen forward-looking research on judicial system rules and provide professional and intellectual support for scientific decision-making and judicial practice on climate change. It is necessary to actively connect judicial needs such as litigation and trials and effectively serve judicial practice." Wan Ping, a second-level inspector of the Sichuan Province Department of Ecology and Environment, said.
According to Li Yao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of the Chengdu Railway Transportation Intermediate Court, the research center will focus on carrying out policy and legal research and practical exploration in the field of addressing climate change, organizing interdisciplinary research, and jointly creating a "climate justice" environment for the Sichuan court system. Responsibilities such as the judicial brand of resources and the "climate policy" work brand of the environmental protection system are committed to promoting the innovation and development of the judiciary in responding to climate change. Continuously enhance the influence of justice in environmental protection and sustainable development, and provide services and guarantees for government decision-making, corporate compliance, and social participation.
Eleven experts and scholars from Peking University, Sichuan University, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Southwest Petroleum University and other universities and practical departments were hired as members of the academic committee of the research center. The research center issued appointment letters to committee representatives and announced the first batch of topics and projects of the Climate Change Judicial Response Center in 2024.
