The Supreme People's Court issued a notice on studying and implementing the Ecological and Environmental Code, which was adopted at the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature and will take effect on Aug 15, 2026. 

The notice urges courts at all levels to fully recognize the significance of the legislation and to diligently engage in related study, publicity and application, so as to fulfill their political, legal and judicial responsibilities in building a Beautiful China.

The notice points out that courts are key entities in studying and implementing the environmental code, and must strengthen their sense of mission and perform their statutory duties. 

Efforts should be made to integrate the implementation of the code with the arrangements of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), focus on serving the overall work of the Party and the State, and continue to advance key tasks related to promoting a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development and the building of a Beautiful China Initiative, so as to achieve significant progress during the plan period.

The notice underlines the need for courts to implement the code’s provisions concerning the protection of people's well-being, actively respond to public expectations for a better ecological environment, and effectively safeguard the fundamental interests of the people.

It calls for well-organized publicity and training programs on the code, urging courts nationwide to develop a systematic understanding of the concepts, principles, and new systems and rules stipulated in the code, along with an accurate grasp of its legislative background and intent. Innovative approaches should be adopted to integrate learning with judicial practice. 

The notice urges integrating the popularization of the code into the day-to-day judicial work, and enhancing public legal awareness through promotional events on National Ecology Day and World Environment Day. Methods like case-based law interpretation and circuit court hearings are also suggested for courts to deliver environmental law education to people’s doorstep.

The notice also calls for strengthened adjudication guidance to ensure the smooth implementation of the code. Comprehensive research on judicial interpretations is required, along with a thorough review of existing judicial interpretations and normative documents in the ecological and environmental field.

It stresses the need to implement the code's requirements for developing specialized mechanisms for ecological and environmental adjudication, further clarifying related principles, institutional frameworks, and management models. Additionally, strengthening supervision and management of adjudication is essential to ensure the effective enforcement of the code, the notice states.