环境侵权适用惩罚性赔偿的制度优化

Optimization of the System for Applying Punitive Damages for Environmental Infringement

摘要: 《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》对《中华人民共和国民法典》第一千二百三十二条做了补充和完善。但在我国审慎适用惩罚性赔偿的大环境下，私益侵权适用惩罚性赔偿的案件更为稀少，主要体现为发案难、证明要件难度大、对侵权人主观过错要求高等问题。主要原因是忽视针对危害行为的惩罚性赔偿、忽视针对重大过失引起的侵权行为的惩罚性赔偿、要件与行政刑事责任的构成要件高度类似以及将环境侵权行为的违法性作为的前置条件。解决的方式是对恶意侵权行为同样适用惩罚性赔偿，对重大过失引起的环境侵权适用惩罚性赔偿，对环境侵权私益诉讼适用惩罚性赔偿的构成要件和证明标准进行调整，对未违反法律规定、但恶意的环境侵权人适用惩罚性赔偿。

Abstract: The Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on the Application of Punitive Damages in the Trial of Ecological and Environmental Infringement Disputes supplements and improves Article 1232 of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China. However, under the environment of prudent application of punitive damages in China, cases of private interest infringement applying punitive damages are rare, which is mainly reflected in the difficulty of filing a case, the difficulty of proving the requirements, and the high requirement of the subjective fault of the infringer. The main reasons are ignoring the punitive damages for the harmful acts, ignoring the punitive damages for the torts caused by gross negligence, the elements are highly similar to the constituent elements of administrative criminal responsibility, and taking the illegality of environmental torts as the precondition. The solution is to apply punitive damages to malicious infringements, apply punitive damages to environmental infringements caused by gross negligence, adjust the components and standards of proof of punitive damages to environmental tort private interest lawsuits, and apply punitive damages to environmental infringers who have not violated legal provisions but acted in bad faith.