On March 5, the highly anticipated draft Ecological and Environmental Code was submitted to the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress for deliberation. This will be China’s second codified law, following the Civil Code, to… “ Code ” The law of naming, empowered by the rule of law, advances the building of a Beautiful China and safeguards our shared home.

The draft, exceeding 160,000 characters, is divided into five parts and comprises 1,242 articles. This code safeguards not only clean skies, clear waters, and pristine lands, but also the ecological and environmental rights of every individual. What are the key highlights of the draft, and how will it impact our daily lives?

Highlight 1: Clearly stated “ Achieving the sustainable development of the Chinese nation ”

Opening the voluminous draft of the code, the very first article sets forth the legislative purpose of the Ecological and Environmental Code, stipulating that… “ Comprehensively advance the building of a Beautiful China, accelerate the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and achieve the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. ”。　　　　

The draft is divided into five parts: General Provisions, Pollution Prevention and Control, Ecological Protection, Green and Low-Carbon Development, and Legal Liability, along with Supplementary Provisions. Among these, the three sections on pollution prevention and control, ecological protection, and green and low-carbon development work in concert—addressing pollution control, environmental conservation, and transformation—thereby providing a more systematic, coordinated, and authoritative legal framework to support the building of a Beautiful China.

“ The promulgation of this code will further refine the legal framework for ecological civilization, laying a systematic, standardized, and authoritative rule-of-law foundation for building a beautiful China in which humanity and nature coexist in harmony. ‘ Great Wall ’ , thereby laying a solid legal foundation for safeguarding our common home and achieving the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. ” Zhang Xingying, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the China Meteorological Administration, said.

When laws are established, the green mountains endure; when regulations are clear, the green waters flow forever.

Qin Tianbao, director of the Institute of Environmental Law at Wuhan University, believes that, over the past three decades, more than 30 laws… “ Going it alone ” By now “ Clench your fingers into a fist. ” The systematic integration and the promulgation of an ecological and environmental code mark a new stage in China’s ecological and environmental governance, shifting it from past practices of fragmented legislation and ad hoc amendments to a more systematic and modern approach.

Highlight No. 2: A multi-pronged approach to address the concerns of the general public. “ Right outside my door ” A source of worry

Catering‑related oil fumes, malodors, and noise pollution are persistent sources of concern in people’s daily lives. The draft’s section on pollution prevention and control not only sets out comprehensive provisions for building a Beautiful China but also addresses environmental issues that directly affect the public, offering targeted, detailed regulations to tackle these problems effectively.

To address cooking fume pollution, the draft strengthens planning guidance and site‑selection controls, moving compliance requirements to the business registration stage to enhance source‑level prevention and control. It also promotes, on a case‑by‑case basis, the treatment of rural wastewater and waste, as well as toilet upgrades, thereby addressing gaps in the legal framework for rural environmental governance. ……

Lan Jiaozhi, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and Party Secretary of Neicao Village in Jingsheng Township, Du’an Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, stated that in some rural areas, problems persist, including the indiscriminate dumping and accumulation of household waste and inadequate pollution-control infrastructure to support livestock and poultry farming. “ The draft’s array of provisions squarely addresses the weak links in rural ecological and environmental governance, effectively transforming the public’s aspirations for a healthy environment into robust legal safeguards. ”

In response to the issue of improper selection of tree and grass species in urban and rural greening, which can harm human health, it is clarified that greening efforts should be tailored to local conditions and that tree and grass species must be chosen scientifically. Furthermore, regulations are strengthened to standardize and guide the release of wild animals, stipulating that only locally native species suitable for survival in the wild at the release site may be used. …… Zhao Wanping, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and vice president of the Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the draft is both ambitious and compassionate, offering more scientific and meticulous provisions to address new situations and challenges in people’s daily lives, thereby enabling them to fully appreciate the beauty of the natural environment.

Highlight No. 3: A separate chapter is dedicated to addressing pollution prevention and control in emerging areas such as light pollution.

During the day, the reflective glass curtain wall can be dazzling. “ Annoying ” , at night, the flickering neon lights disturb one’s peaceful sleep …… With the rapid economic and social development in China, emerging environmental issues such as light pollution have become increasingly prominent, posing potential risks to public health and ecological security.

The draft dedicates a separate sub‑section to pollution prevention and control, setting forth corresponding provisions on the risk management of chemical substance pollution, the prevention and control of electromagnetic radiation pollution, and the prevention and control of light pollution.

“ This timely responds to the calls of the people and the practical needs of legislation, fully demonstrating the innovativeness and forward-looking nature of codification. ” Miao Wei, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and Senior Vice President of ZTE Corporation, said.

Sun Youhai, Dean of the School of Law at Tianjin University, who has long followed the work of codification, stated that in these areas, the legal framework for pollution prevention and control still lacks specific provisions. This section of the draft both addresses current needs and looks to the future: it incorporates well‑established, clearly defined measures, while setting out principled guidelines for issues that still require further exploration.

Sun Youhai stated that, in light of the unique characteristics of pollution prevention and control in these emerging fields, the draft establishes a differentiated, end-to-end prevention and control framework, promotes the rule of law and standardization in related pollution‑control efforts, and ensures that all preventive and control measures are effectively implemented and yield tangible results.

Highlight Four: Conservation and Development “ Grasp with both hands ” , promoting harmonious coexistence

Forests, grasslands, rivers, lakes, and other natural environments are both ecosystems and indispensable natural resources for human production and daily life.

Yu Wenxuan, Vice Dean of the School of Civil, Commercial and Economic Law at China University of Political Science and Law, believes that ecology and resources exhibit significant… “ Two sides of the same coin ” Relationships. The draft does not simply emphasize the protection of the ecological environment; rather, it seeks to protect and ensure the sustainable use of… “ Grasp with both hands ” It emphasizes the full protection of ecosystems and sets forth detailed provisions for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources such as land, minerals, water, and fisheries.

In the past, ecosystem conservation has largely focused on traditional domains such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands. The draft bill now incorporates ecosystems that were previously given relatively limited protection—such as deserts—and establishes dedicated chapters on rivers, lakes, and deserts.

“ This represents a crucial enhancement to China’s ecosystem conservation efforts, signaling a shift from protecting key areas and individual components to safeguarding the entire ecosystem across all regions, thereby addressing previously identified gaps in ecological protection. ” Sun Youhai said.

He also pointed out that the draft on ecological protection adheres to the natural laws governing different ecosystems, promotes integrated conservation and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, and establishes a comprehensive ecological security framework. Furthermore, it strengthens governmental responsibilities for protection and regulates development and utilization activities, thereby helping to maintain ecosystem stability while ensuring the safety of human production and daily life, and realizing ecological benefits for the people, ecological advantages for the people, and ecological services for the people.

Highlight Five: Promoting transformative development, with green and low-carbon development established as a separate chapter.

The inclusion of green and low-carbon development as a separate chapter is a major highlight of the draft.

In the view of deputies, committee members, and experts, this arrangement will help advance the greening and decarbonization of production and lifestyle patterns, ushering in a new stage in which high-quality development, a high‑quality life, and high‑level environmental protection are integrated.

“ Green and low-carbon development is the fundamental solution to ecological and environmental challenges. The codification of the Environmental Protection Law expands its scope from pollution prevention and ecological conservation to leveraging the rule of law to drive a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. ” Zhang Xingying said.

The draft’s chapter on green and low-carbon development further strengthens the extended producer responsibility system and extends it to… “ The New Three Items ” In areas such as waste management, it will play a crucial role in advancing the circular economy.

Zhang Zhongmin, vice president of Hubei University of Economics, said that with the growth of the electrical and electronic industries, motor vehicles, and… “ The New Three Items ” The volume of product waste continues to rise, and relying solely on end-of-life recycling is no longer sufficient to mitigate environmental pressures and resource risks. “ Strengthening the extended producer responsibility system is conducive to establishing ‘ Accountability-driven pressure — Technical Improvement — Value recovery ’ a virtuous cycle, thereby achieving the goal of resource recycling. ”

Implement product carbon footprint management, establish a national carbon emissions trading market, enhance the climate change adaptation capacity of key strategic regions, and advance climate‑change‑related health adaptation initiatives. …… The draft sets out provisions for addressing climate change. According to Miao Wei, this clarifies the direction and lays the foundation for the development of China’s relevant legal framework and practical initiatives, while also demonstrating, from a rule-of-law perspective, China’s firm commitment to actively participating in and leading global climate governance, promoting the establishment of a fair, equitable, and mutually beneficial global climate governance system, and contributing a Chinese solution to global climate governance.

Highlight Six: Upholding the principle of proportionality between offenses and penalties, and imposing strict sanctions on illegal acts such as falsification and deception.

Environmental impact assessment agencies issuing false reports, motor vehicle emission inspection agencies falsifying data, and interference with or sabotage of ecological and environmental monitoring facilities. …… In practice, instances of fraud and falsification by ecological and environmental technical service agencies are frequent.

The draft strengthens penalties: for serious falsification of monitoring data by monitoring agencies, fines ranging from RMB 500,000 to RMB 2 million will be imposed, and the agencies may be barred from engaging in related activities. In addition, the responsible individuals shall face fines and a ban on practicing in the relevant field for a specified period.

Sun Youhai stated that the draft directly addresses the issue of third-party technical service agencies engaging in fraud and falsification. “ Intractable disease ” , substantially increase the costs of falsifying data and violating the law, strengthen accountability and deterrence, and ensure from the outset that data related to environmental impact assessments, monitoring, and evaluations are authentic and reliable, thereby providing robust legal safeguards for stringent law enforcement and targeted pollution control.

What penalties apply to individuals who illegally dump solid waste? When collecting and storing used batteries, do individual business households and enterprises bear the same legal liabilities?

Liu Rui, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and vice president of the Zhejiang Tsinghua Yangtze River Delta Research Institute, stated that the principle of proportionality between the offense and the penalty is a key tenet of administrative punishment. The draft bill embodies this principle by, for instance, distinguishing among enterprises and public institutions, other producers and operators, and individuals engaged in the illegal collection, storage, utilization, or disposal of hazardous waste, and prescribing corresponding legal liabilities for each category.

In addition, the draft introduces new provisions related to credit rehabilitation, among other measures. “ These institutional designs provide opportunities for enterprises that recognize their mistakes and are willing to correct them. ‘ To reform and start anew ’ This approach both upholds the rigidity of the law and embodies the flexibility of guiding enterprises to operate in compliance, achieving a balanced integration of firmness and flexibility, and harmonizing legal principles with practical considerations. ” Qin Tianbao said.

(Source: China Chemical News, March 7, 2026)