Environmental Public Interest Litigation in China

Environmental public interest litigation plays an irreplaceable role in the enforcement of environmental law. Such lawsuits in China have usually been launched by citizens, procuratorate bodies, administrative authorities or non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Because citizen enforcement has several deficiencies and the procuratorate bodies and administrative authorities are restricted to their specific functions and obligations, environmental NGOs could be the best plaintiffs in these lawsuits. However, because there are some obstacles for NGOs in undertaking such litigation, including thresholds for establishing standing, registration restrictions, etc, special rules should be applied.