Court offers environment law education at scenic spot

A station that will introduce laws to the public and organize related activities has been set up in a scenic spot in Beijing to enhance people's awareness of environmental protection laws.

The station, established by the Pinggu District People's Court in the Tianyun Mountain scenic spot on Friday, aims to help tourists learn more about environmental laws while visiting the area.

Tourists can access the latest environment-related legal knowledge after scanning a quick response code with their mobile phones at the station, and they will win postcards if they participate in a contest on an online platform and answer 10 questions correctly, the court said.

It is not the first time the court has engaged in such outreach at a scenic spot. Last year, it upgraded a green-energy double-decker motor yacht to promote legal awareness of environmental protection.

The city's only yacht powered by a lithium battery, it was launched on the district's Jinhai Lake, a hot tourist resort. Judges from the court and staff members from the scenic area volunteer to offer legal services for visitors on board, with a robot on deck to make the learning more interesting.

The yacht and the new station are innovative moves to implement the central leadership's call for the strengthening of environmental conservation by rule of law and meet the public's related legal demands, the court said.

"We also hope to help residents understand how judges deal with environmental disputes and how to file relevant litigation if their surroundings are polluted," said Wang Xiaorong, vice-president of the court.

She said the court opened a tribunal for tackling environmental and ecological cases last August that has contributed to ensuring the professionalism of case handling and improving public outreach and education.

The tribunal has sent 12 judicial suggestions to local enterprises to prevent pollution by regulating their businesses, and has organized more than 40 seminars with local government, village committees and mediators to efficiently solve cases and reduce litigation, she added.

Thanks to the efforts, the court has seen a drop in the number of civil and administrative disputes involving the environment in recent years. But Lu Xiaofeng, a senior judge of the court, said difficulties in collecting evidence and calculating environmental damage have created challenges for the judiciary.

"We've increased legal research with academies, and selected those engaged in the fields of landscaping, water and wildlife to help deal with environmental issues in the handling of cases," he said.

"In addition, we've provided stronger education on environmental law in the district's schools, villages, enterprises and scenic spots."

Other courts in Beijing have also come up with new ways to help enhance people's legal awareness in recent months.

In April, Chaoyang District People's Court opened a center to introduce environmental laws in Wenyuhe Park, while in November, Miyun District People's Court built a similar station in the Taoyuan Valley scenic area.