惩罚性赔偿在环境民事公益诉讼中的适用与计算

Application and Calculation of Punitive Damages in Environmental Civil Public Interest Litigation

《民法典》实施后,惩罚性赔偿扩展适用至生态环境侵权领域。2022年《最高人民法院关于审理生态环境侵权纠纷案件适用惩罚性赔偿的解释》颁布,为惩罚性赔偿适用于环境民事公益诉讼提供了一定依据,但具体适用规则仍不完善,司法实践状况不理想,存在类案不同判的现象。环境民事公益诉讼涉及生态环境公益,惩罚性赔偿代表着对侵权者的严厉惩罚,在环境民事公益诉讼中能否恰当地适用惩罚性赔偿,影响着生态环境利益与经济利益的平衡关系。因此,在环境民事公益诉讼中适用惩罚性赔偿时,各个环节都应保持谨慎。在计算环节,应明确环境民事公益诉讼中惩罚性赔偿的计算原则。计算出数额后,应当探索多样的惩罚性赔偿承担方式、规范惩罚性赔偿金的管理,通过完善立法、发布司法解释或指导性案例等手段有序引导惩罚性赔偿在环境民事公益诉讼中展开适用。

Punitive damages has been applied to the field of eco-environmental tort since the Civil Code of the People̍s Republic of China came into force.The Interpretation of the Supreme People̍s Court on the Application of Punitive Damages in the Trial of Cases of Disputes over Ecological Environment Tort issued in 2022 provides specific regulations on the application of punitive damages to environment-re-lated civil public interest litigation,but leaves some to be improved with specific regulations short of applications,judicial practice un-satisfactory,like cases treated differently.Punitive damages,a strict punishment for eco-environmental infringement in environmental civil public interest litigation,means a balance between eco-environmental interests and economic interests,where applied appropriate-ly.Therefore,punitive damages shall be applied with caution in every respect for the environmental civil public interest litigation.In terms of calculation,make sure of the calculating principles.Once well-calculated,punitive damages shall be assumed differently,managed by standardization and guided regularly by improving legislation,issuing judicial interpretations or guidance notes on case set-tlement.