4. China court to hear 30m yuan air pollution lawsuit

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1. Full citation and link.
Citation: Qin Liu, “China court to hear 30m yuan air pollution lawsuit” Chinadialogue, accessed March 25 2015.
刘琴，环保组织索赔空气污染企业3000万，https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/ch/7790-China-court-to-hear-3-m-yuan-air-pollution-lawsuit- 2015-03-25

2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
  • “Lawsuit filed by Chinese environmental organisation targets the profits made by polluters, rather than focussing on tricky calculations of financial damages from toxic air.”
  • “The All-China Environmental Federation (ACEF), which brought the lawsuit, is basing the potential amount of damages on an offending company’s operating costs, in the hope this will provide a route to successful public interest litigation.”
  • “The new environmental protection law, and a judicial interpretation from the Supreme People’s Court on handling of environmental public interest lawsuits, had changed the outlook for such litigation.”
  • 环保组织对企业提起大气污染公益诉讼，索赔近3000万元。这起诉讼通过核算企业运营成本来提出索赔，在司法实践上具可操作性。
  • 雾霾围困中国，受害者却很难对大气污染提起诉讼，因为空气污染造成的损害难以估量。针对此类难以评估的污染案，中华环保联合会通过核算企业运营成本来提出索赔，有望为类似的环境公益诉讼提出解决之道。
  • 由于新环保法的实施，以及最高人民法院关于审理环境民事公益诉讼案件司法解释的出台，环境公益诉讼的大环境得到改观。

3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
The first case of environmental organization files a 30 million yuan lawsuit for a chemical company. It is supported by the fact reported in the news and the further analysis of Ma Young, deputy head of ACEF’s Environmental Legal Services Center.
中国首例环保组织索赔空气污染化工企业3000万。由新闻报道和中华环保联合会环境法律服务中心副主任马勇的分析解释来论证的。

4. What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
  • Dezhou Jinghua: a Shandong chemical company which got a lawsuit requesting compensation for air pollution.
  • All-China Environmental Federation (ACEF): a nationwide non-profitable civil society organization (CSO) in the field of the environment, and is supported by the government. It is composed of CSOs and individuals who are enthusiastic about and support environmental protection and are willing to work for it.
  • Ma Yong: deputy head of ACEF’s Environmental Legal Services Center.
  • Liu Jinmei: Environmental lawyer.
  • Hu Jing: a deputy professor at the China University of Politics and Law’s Environment and Resources Law Institute.
  • Beijing News: a Chinese language newspaper in thePeople's Republic of China from Beijing.
  • Yang Xiumei: head of the Dongying Intermediate People’s Court.
  • Zhang Boju: secretary-general of Friends of Nature.
  • Friends of Nature (FON): It is the oldest environmental NGO in China. They have been working for over a decade to promote environmental awareness about China’s most pressing environmental problems.
  • 德州晶华集团振华有限公司：一家化工公司，被环保组织由空气污染缘由起诉。
  • 中华环保联合会：中华环保联合会作为非政府组织，在国际交流与合作方面得到中联部、外交部、民政部和环境保护部的支持, 根据“与国内外环保NGO 组织建立广泛联系，多渠道筹集资金，促进NGO 组织的能力建设和健康发展。
  • 马勇：中华环保联合会环境法律服务中心副主任。
  • 刘金梅：环境律师。
  • 胡静：中国政法大学环境资源法研究所副教授。
  • 新京报：中国北京的一个中文日报。
  • 杨秀梅：东营市中院环保法庭庭长。
  • 张伯驹：自然之友总干事。
  • 自然之友：是中国政府批准成立的第一个群众性民间环保团体。“自然之友”宣称的宗旨为：开展群众性环境教育、倡导绿色文明、建立和传播具有中国特色的绿色文化、促进中国的环保事业。

5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
  • Causation: Dezhou Jinghua has saved over 20 million yuan by not installing environmental-protection equipment on a number of production lines, and had also avoided fines that should have been paid for pollution. The environmental group has filed a 30 million yuan (US$4.8 million) lawsuit to seek compensation from them.
  • Responsibility: The environmental lawsuit is rare due to difficulties in gathering evidence and assessing damages. However, the companies’ first priority in development should be protecting the environment especially those industries discharge toxic gas to atmosphere. They should install environmental-protection equipment on a number of production lines.

6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The health disparities are not mentioned in the article.

7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
  • The legislative regulation is one aspect of preventing them discharge toxic gas into atmosphere, but this is not the essence of protecting environment. The companies should improve their awareness of protecting environment.
  • According to the article, more litigations are expected after this case since the implementation of the new environmental protection law. This situation is good for the development in improving air quality.
  • In the article, we can see more and more people has been attracted by the notorious air situation, including deputy head from NGOs and the head of the Intermediate People’s Court.
  • 由立法来防治有毒污染物排放并不是保护环境的本质，排污公司应提高自身环保意识。
  • 通过文章来看，在新环保法颁布以后，会有越来越多的环境诉讼。这样的情况有助于提高空气质量。
  • 在文章中可以看出越来越多的人注意到恶劣的空气质量，其中包括不同的环境组织和环保法庭。