China's top court to set up environment tribunal

In an attempt to curb environmental pollution, China's Supreme People's Court is likely to set up an environment and resources tribunal.

According to the China Daily, the court will hear complex environmental issues and reduce prevalent pollution problems.

While the court refused to comment on the issue on Friday, an official announcement is expected soon.

Wang Canfa, an environment law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said in a statement that it would not be easy to recognize a culprit since environmental harm was done over a long period of time.

The legal experts expect the top court's green tribunal to set guidelines for the local tribunals, hear individual environment related cases and perform other varied functions.

Many local governments in the country have set up such tribunals since 2007, aiming to resolve environmental disputes.