The 18th National Congress of the CPC clearly proposed to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization and beautiful China. And the fifth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee further proposed five development concept “innovation, coordination, green, open and sharing”, to raise the of “green development” to unprecedented heights. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the promotion of green development mode and lifestyle to create the good productive and living environment for the people during the forty-first collective study of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The Report of the 19th National Congress of the CPC comprehensively stated the acceleration of the systematic reform of ecological civilization, the promotion of green development, the construction of strategic deployment of beautiful China, which provided a roadmap for Chinese future development of ecological civilization and green development. Green development has become a key issue under the serious concerns of our Party and country.
In 2013, Tianjin University (TJU) introduced “TJU Opinions on the Prosperity and Development of Philosophy and Social Sciences”, and decided to implement fundamental construction project in combination with disciplinary layout while strengthen the construction of philosophy and social science research bases. In this context, TJU Green Development Institute of China (the Green Institute) was formally established in 2015. Dean of Green Institute is Li Jiajun who is the Head of the TJU Communist Party, and Executive Dean is Professor Sun Youhai who is the Dean of the TJU Law School. Hu Baolin, the former Deputy Director of Three Gorges Office of State Council, is the Honorary President. Since its establishment, based at TJU, the Green institute has established a preliminary strategic cooperative relation with the relevant ministries and commissions of the state judicial organs, including the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Water Resources, the State Forestry Administration, etc. Under the leadership of the Supreme People’s Court, the Forensic Science Center of Environmental Damage is established. In November 2017, the Green Institute was officially named as the Tianjin City Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences.
I. Research
From 2014 to 2017, TJU law school faculty members have led 9 national projects and 22 provincial projects funded by the National Social Science Fund, the National Natural Science Fund, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, China Law Society, Oceanic Administration of China. Among them, the National Social Science Fund Major Project “Comprehensively Promote the Research on the Mechanism of Judicial Safeguard for Ecological Civilization”, led by Professor Sun Youhai, was successfully completed in 2017 with 32 published books including: “Study on the Rule of Law Security on Sustainable Development” being published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Publishing House as the second prize of the Fourth Outstanding Achievement Award of Chinese Law; “The Chinese Environmental Law for Japanese Companies” being re-published in Japanese. From 2014 to 2017, the Green Institute published 432 papers including 79 SSCI and SCI English papers and received two Tianjin City Outstanding Achievement Awards of Social Sciences.
II. Social Services
The Green Institute has focused on the major state strategic needs. Since its establishment, it has submitted 13 pieces of consulting suggestions to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Tianjin City Social Association Union, Tianjin City Law Society. These submissions have obtained the instructions of seven deputy national or provincial leaders including the Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate Cao Jianming, the Party Secretary of China Law Society and Standing Vice President Chen Jiping, the Vice President of the Supreme People’s Court Jiang Bixin, the Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Zhao Yingmin, the President of Beijing Municipal Higher People’s Court Yang Wanming, the Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Tianjin Municipal People’s Congress San Xiangjun, the Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of He’nan Province Chu Yaping. Two submissions were adopted by the Social Science Section of the Ministry of Education, and two submissions were adopted by Tianjin Political Report of Social Sciences.
III. Academic ExchangeSince its establishment, the Green Institute has held nine large-scale and high-standard symposiums including: 1. How can China do after the Paris Climate Conference with Center for Climate Strategies of China;
2. Environmental Damage Judicial Forensic Science with Supreme People’s Court;
3. Annual Conference for Tianjin Union of Social Sciences;
4. Expert Evaluation Meeting for National Social Science Projects;
5. The Prevention and Treatment of Haze Conference – What to Do When the Heavy Haze Comes;
6. The Green Development Conference for the Construction of Xiong An New Area;
7. Promoting Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Collaborative Development Conference;
8. International Conference on Enforcing 2030 United Nations Sustainability Agenda;
9. International Conference on the Green Environmental Standards of One Belt One Road in Chinese Foreign Trades and Investments.
IV. Education and Faculty
The Green Institute has improved the student professional quality with comprehensive and practical training for the national needs. In April of 2016, the Green Institute established a TJU Environmental Law Learning Group consisting of approximately 60 students to participate into the research of Ministerial Projects of Chinese Law Society, and organized a TJU practical study team to research on the Legal Regulation of Water Pollution by going to more than 20 provinces and cities nationwide to develop practical activities on various aspects such as local water pollution legislations, current situations, problems and results, strategies and suggestions, the preventions and treatments, etc. The team was awarded National Top 100 Summer Practical Research Team of College Students. Additionally, the Green Institute has strengthened the faculty construction at different ages with the encouragement and support for the young scholar to work on more provincial and ministerial level scientific research projects.
V. Participation into Drafting and Amending Laws and Regulations
The Green Institute has actively participated into drafting and amending the laws and regulations on the green developments.
Proposed Legislative Drafts:
1. Regulation on Development and Construction of Xion An New Area (Proposed Draft);
2. Regulation on Ecological Red Line Protection (Proposed Draft);
3. Ecological Damage Compensation Act (Draft);
4. Supreme People’s Court Guidance on Environmental Damage Forensic Science (Proposed Draft);
5. Soil Pollution Protection Act (Draft).
Involved Legislative Amendments:
1. Water Pollution Protection Act (Revised Draft);
2. Nuclear Safety Act (Draft);
3. Wild Animal Protection Act (Two Revised Drafts);
4. Forest Act (Revised Draft for Public Opinions);
5. Amendment on Oceanic Environment Protection Law (Draft).
III. Platform Construction
Fully utilizing Internet, new media, etc., the Green Institute has established its official website and a Wechat public account, which are the window for its achievements, influencing public opinions, propagating green development ideas, and enhancing visibility and influence.
IV. Structure
Dean: Li Jiajun
Honorary Dean: Hu Baolin
Executive Dean: Sun Youhai
Deputy Dean: Wang Xiaogang
Contact Person: Wang Wenjie
Contact Email: wangwenjie9125@163.com
