Tao Kaiyuan, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, called for fully utilizing the preventive relief function of the environmental protection injunction at an expert meeting co-held by the SPC and the Renmin University of China Law School on Dec 3.

At the meeting, experts and scholars from such universities as Peking University and Tsinghua University had in-depth discussion focusing on environmental protection injunction, and advised on improving the draft of several regulations on injunction applications in cases of environmental infringements.

Tao said the environmental protection injunction should root in safeguarding the people's environmental rights and interests, stressing to make the injunction's preventive and relief functions into full play. By curbing the illegal activities and realizing protection of personal and public environmental rights and interests, the environmental protection injunctions could provide strong judicial guarantee for ecological construction in the new stage of development.

A sound ecological environment is of concern of people's basic rights of survival and development, said Tao. The institution of the injunction is designed to provide effective preventive relief measures when the environmental infringement is about to begin, ongoing, or damage is not yet serious. It aims to prevent the environmental rights and interests from irreparable harm.

Tao asked courts nationwide summarizing practical experience, sorting out suggestions from experts and scholars to promote formulation of related judicial interpretations.