China has given courts the authority to hand down the death penalty in cases of serious pollution, according to state media. A judicial interpretation that took effect last week would impose "harsher punishments" and tighten "lax and superficial" enforcement of the country's environmental laws, the Xinhua news agency reported, adding that "in the most serious cases the death penalty could be handed down." Previous enforcement attempts have stalled at the local level, where municipal governments rely on taxes from polluting industries. However, severe air and water pollution have sparked escalating activism and protests, causing a government crackdown on growing environmental actions. China has made multiple promises and developed multiple plans to improve the environment, with limited success, but the state media expected this measure to improve enforcement. "The judicial explanation provides a powerful legal weapon for law enforcement, which is expected to facilitate the work of judges and tighten punishments for polluters," said Xinhua. "All force should be mobilized to uncover law-breaking clues of environmental pollution in a timely way." For the full story, see http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-china-pollution-idUKBRE95I10D20130619. Earlier: http://elr.info/international/international-update/chinas-five-year-plan-focus-environment-0, http://elr.info/international/international-update/chinas-environmental-activists-face-crackdown.