Falsifying Carbon Emissions Data Is Now a Crime in China

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In 2020, China’s top legislature passed revisions to the Criminal Law, which included criminalizing the provision of false certifications for others by those responsible for environmental impact assessment and environmental monitoring. Photo: VCG

China’s top legal bodies have issued a judicial interpretation criminalizing the falsification of carbon emissions data, as the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter seeks to get tough on environmental crimes that threaten its efforts to achieve ambitious climate goals.

Those in intermediary organizations responsible for testing greenhouse gas emissions, compiling or verifying emissions reports can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if they knowingly provide others with false documents, according to the judicial interpretation from the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.