环境侵权诉讼时效规则的问题与完善——从“常州毒地案”切入

Problems and Perfection of the Limitation of Action for Environmental Tort Litigation——A Case Study of “Changzhou Poisonous Land”

侵权诉讼时效的目的在于督促及时行使权利和稳定社会秩序,环境案件因其特殊性需特别规则。"常州毒地案"反映出我国环境侵权诉讼时效存在适用对象不清、公益诉讼规则欠缺、起算点主客观认定不明、中断事由不足等问题,既不利于权益救济,也阻碍公平、效率与秩序稳定。对此,应依诉讼请求区别时效适用,建立生态损害赔偿特别规则,以损害后果作为起算的客观方面,明确起算在主观方面的主体、内容及因果关系认知程度,细化时效中断事由。

The main purpose of the limitation of action of tort is to urge the timely exercise of rights and maintain the stability of social order.Environmental cases require special rules because of their particularity.The"Changzhou Poisonous Land Case"reflects the current deficiencies in the limitation of action of environmental tort in China,that is,the lack of clear applicable objects,the lack of special rules for public interest litigation,the unclear rules of the subjective and objective determination of the starting point,and the undetailed interruption cases,which are not conducive to equity relief,and harmful to fairness,efficiency and stability.In order to improve the rules of limitation of action,it’s better to apply different limitation of action to different lawsuit request,establish special statute of limitations for ecological damage compensation,define the objective aspect of the statute of limitations,which is damage to the rights or environment,as the consequence of the damage rather than the infringement action,define the subjective aspect of the statute of limitations,which is somebody knows or ought to be aware of damage,as the subject and the content and extent of the identification,and specify the interruption cases.