On The Establishment Of Environment Information Law In Our Country

Great attention has been paid to the environmental problem as it has become so serious a matter all over the world. China is no exception. It is reported that in China, environmental contamination has extended from the land to the near ocean, from the surface water to groundwater, and from harmless pollution to poisonous one. The Environment Protection Law, which has been in effect for more twenty years, appears to be inefficient to cope with the serious situation. With the fast development of the economic society, it has become more and more urgent to introduce reform to the law. It is not only because of its inefficiency, the higher need for better environment, but also the responsibility of international environmental protection that China should shoulder. As the well-known saying goes, "the sunshine is the best pesticide, " it is necessary to make environment information public because it may not only improve the government' s transparency, but also its democracy in their governing. It is particularly important for China who is shifting from the planned economy to the market economy. Some scholars have pointed out that bringing environment information to the public is a key to the sustainable development. It is noted by the latest Report on the World Resources that the public who are well informed of the related information are more sensitive to it, thus more likely to raise doubts to the proposals made by the government or decision makers in a company. Therefore, they are more likely to work together to lead to social or political reform. At the present stage, it is quite crucial to make and pass an EnvironmentInformation Law. The importance lies in the fact that such a law not only guarantees the public is informed of the environment information, but also establishes and perfects the system of publicizing environment information in China. This paper first discusses the necessity and significance of such a system. With regards to the present situation in China, and its counterparts in some advanced countries, it attempts to put forward with some fundamental proposals involving legislature principles and basic rules in establishing Environment Information Law. It is assumed that this system may be effective to protect the environment in China.