LAUSR

Environmental monitoring fraud has become a serious issue all over the world, in both developed and developing countries. A very different and more pernicious type of fraud was exposed in China. This is the first time that government officials but not enterprise managers and employees have been sentenced for environmental monitoring fraud. This event revealed that the types of environmental monitoring fraud are very different and complex in China, and the challenge to handling such frauds is more difficult and serious. The main drivers behind the frauds were analyzed. To avoid manipulation of monitoring data, it is necessary to develop and combine multiple strategies of administration, judiciary, and technology. More than anything, the management of the monitoring networks should be changed from the current “not only the referee but also the athletes” model. The issue of pollution cannot be fully addressed in a short period of time. However, it is necessary and reasonable to handle the monitoring data fraud immediately. The emphasis here should be on the authenticity of monitoring data, which is prerequisite to winning the war against heavy smog as well as other types of pollution.