环境保护优先原则内涵探析

Connotation of the Principle of Environmental Protection First

2014年修订的《环境保护法》将环境保护优先原则规定为环境法的一项基本原则。通过历史沿革梳理、内涵的学理解读以及比较法考察,可以将环境保护优先原则表述为:为了实现人类社会的可持续发展,应当以环境利益为优先,使对环境的保护行为优先于对环境的开发利用行为。保护优先具有双层构造:环境利益优先与保护行为优先。环境利益优先,是环境保护优先原则对协调发展理念的深化和具体化。环境利益优先可以区分为绝对优先和相对优先,并分别适用不同的保护行为,包括恢复质量的保护行为、维持质量的保护行为、提升质量的保护行为、合理利用的保护行为与禁止利用的保护行为。以开发利用行为的对象为基础,可以为环境保护行为设定三个基准:环境质量标准、资源利用上限以及生态保护红线,以此衡量保护行为是否取得成效。

The Principle of Protection First,as one of the basic environmental law principles,has been stipulated by The Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China(2014 Revision).Through the historical evolution review,the theoretical interpretation and the comparative law research,the Principle of Protection First can be described as that in order to achieve the sustainable development of human society,the environmental benefits should be taken as a priority,and the behaviors of environmental protection should have priority over the behaviors of development and utilization.The two\|layer structure of this principle is the priority of environmental benefits and protection behaviors.The principle is the deepening and embodiment of coordinated development.Based on the difference between the absolute priority and relative priority,we should apply different protection behaviors respectively,including the protection to restore quality,the protection to maintain quality,the protection to improve quality,the protection by rational utilizing and the protection by prohibit utilizing.Based on the object of the act of developing and utilizing the environment,three benchmarks should be set for environmental protection activities,including the environmental quality standards,the upper limits of resource utilization and the ecological red lines,which can be used to measure the effectiveness of protection behaviors.