Local officials must be made aware healthy environment is a priority

JIANGSU PROVINCIAL HIGH PEOPLE'S COURT issued its first white paper on environmental protection cases heard in courts in the province on Tuesday, World Environment Day. According to the white paper, courts in Jiangsu accepted 1,880 cases related to the environment from 2014 to 2016, and, most notably, 13 officials were found guilty for their involvement in environmental crimes. Legal Daily comments:

A closer look at the officials reveals something interesting. In 2014, two officials were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment for environmental crimes; the number rose to three in 2015 and to eight in 2016.

That shows at least two trends: First, certain officials are guilty of not doing their duty to protect the environment; second, the judiciary is determined to fight such crimes.