erdEducation Reform and Development2652-53642652-5372Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/erd.v8i8.15380ArticleChinese Environmental Code and Its Reform Enlightenment for Law Educationhttps://artdesignp.com/journal/erd/8/8/10.26689/erd.v8i8.15380HuangYuxin2026882026-09-17Adopted in March 2026 and enforced in August 2026, China’s first unified Environmental Code brings moderate adjustments to domestic environmental legal system and poses new challenges for environmental law teaching. Traditional scattered environmental law teaching tends to form fragmented curriculum settings and relatively outdated teaching cases. Based on historical and comparative legal research methods, this paper summarizes three major legislative characteristics of the Code, discusses the mismatches between current environmental law teaching and the newly implemented Code, and puts forward feasible teaching optimization suggestions, so as to provide references for cultivating professional environmental legal talents under the unified environmental rule of law framework.Environmental code, Environmental legal education, Moderate codification model

[1]   Percival RV, Schroeder CH, Miller AS, et al., 2022, Environmental Regulation: Law, Science, and Policy (9th ed.). Wolters Kluwer, 2022: 45–51. [2]   Holder J, 2010, Environmental Law Education and the Challenge of Statutory Fragmentation. Journal of Environmental Law, 22(2): 112–119. [3]   Dubois L, 2023, Codification Models in Continental Environmental Law: France and Germany Compared. European Public Law Review, 28(2): 78–86. [4]   Wang A, 2022, Forty Years of Fragmented Environmental Legislation in China: Structural Defects and Reform Directions. Environmental Law Reporter, 52(5): 302–310. [5]   Lewis K, 2023, Teaching Environmental Law amid Codification Transition. Journal of Legal Education, 73(4): 201–208. [6]   Yeung A, 2023, Normative Conflicts in China’s Decentralized Environmental Regulation. Asia Pacific Law Review, 19(2): 156–163. [7]   Richardson BR, 2024, The Legislative Drafting of China’s Unified Environmental Code. Journal of Asian Law and Policy, 41(1): 22–29. [8]   O’Sullivan M, 2025, Western Academic Framings of China’s Environmental Legal Reform. Global Environmental Governance Review, 30(3): 94–101. [9]   Maljean-Dubois S, 2025, Full vs Moderate Environmental Codification: Sino-French Comparative Analysis. International & Comparative Law Quarterly, 74(4): 311–319. [10] Martin S, 2024, Retaining Sectoral Environmental Statutes Under a Codified Framework: French Practice. European Environmental Law Review, 34(1): 56–63. [11] Wang C, 2026, Core Institutional Innovations of China’s Eco-Environmental Code. China Law Review, 55(2): 77–85. [12] Petersen N, 2025, Normative Hierarchy in Codified Environmental Legal Systems. Transnational Environmental Law, 14(3): 134–141. [13] Hills P, 2023, Administrative Silos and Cross-Regional Environmental Governance in China. Public Administration and Policy, 21(1): 55–62. [14] White J, 2023, Sectoral Statute Fragmentation and Barriers to Integrated Ecological Governance. Public Law & Governance, 27(3): 89–96. [15] Gerber DJ, 2022, The Origins of China’s Modern Environmental Statutory Regime (1979–1999). Chinese Law and Government, 55(4): 67–74. [16] Scotford E, 2023, Sectoral Environmental Law Statutes in China After 2000: Fragmentation and Coordination Failures. Transnational Environmental Law, 12(2): 189–196. [17] Brunner C, 2024, Integrating Climate Objectives into National Environmental Codification: China’s Dual-Carbon Framework. Climate Law Review, 45(3): 241–248. [18] Fenwick M, 2026, Systemic Reform of Environmental Law via National Codification. International Legal Studies, 49(1): 102–109. [19] Brown L, 2024, The Divide Between Theory and Practice in Environmental Law Teaching. Journal of Legal Education, 40(2): 145–152. [20] Holder J, 2024, The Risks of Over-Comprehensive Environmental Codification: Lessons from European Experience. Journal of Environmental Law, 36(3): 441–448.