China's environmental freedom of information act 2008

A potentially important milestone was passed this week in China although it passed me by initially.

Your right to know: a historic moment [China Dialogue]

The Measures on Open Environmental Information (for Trial Implementation) will be effective from May 1, 2008, and will provide a powerful tool to promote the public right to know in China.

As an agency that pays unusual attention to public participation, it is no surprise that China’s State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) – now the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) – became the first ministry to respond with its own measures, based on China’s Regulations on Open Government Information, which were introduced by the State Council in January 2007 and aim to increase government transparency by allowing citizens and organisations to lawfully obtain government information.

The huge number of potential questions that can be asked mean that this is an important development. See this excellent article for details.