U.S.-Asia
PA R T N E R S H I P S F O R
Environmental Law AT V E R M O N T L AW S C H O O L
The U.S.-Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law (PEL) is a collaborative program to advance environmental and energy law and policy in China and throughout Southeast Asia. The goal of PEL, which is supported by a number of public and private organizations, is to strengthen the rule of law in environmental protection and to build capacity among individuals and academic, government, and privatesector institutions to solve environmental problems. VLS Mission Scholars visit a Chinese NGO in 2019
ENVIRONMENTAL MISSION SCHOLARS IN ACTION Through its Environmental Mission Scholars program, the U.S.Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law (PEL) supports young legal professionals in China on their paths to becoming environmental advocates and stewards. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the PEL 2020 student cohort has continued engaging in environmental legal advocacy on the ground and providing legal services to environmental NGOs in China.
HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS: ■ A ttorney Lu Peiyuan, a mission scholar
based in the Environmental Law Clinic at Wuhan University, assisted an NGO in filing environmental public interest litigation (EPIL) to stop water pollution allegedly caused by a chemical plant in Shiyan City of Hubei Province— the very first EPIL case this NGO has filed. The court has accepted the case, and attorney Lu will help to litigate it. ■ W orking at the Research Center of Duke
Kunshan University, mission scholar and
attorney Li Mengqi LLM’21 supported a civil society organization by filing a legal opinion letter. The letter challenged the local government’s decision to develop a wetland in Shanghai that is an important habitat for migratory birds. ■ M ission scholars Qiao Hailing and Wang Xinyi
are working as legal and policy assistants for Friends of Nature, a Chinese environmental NGO. They helped to draft a legislative study report on China’s National Park and Protected Areas legislations.
Latest from THE LAW LAB
A meeting of the Research Initiative on Sustainable Trade and Investment
The Law Laboratory for International Sustainable Development researches innovative law and policy instruments, working globally with research institutes, NGOs, and international development agencies to promote an integrated and sustainable approach to economic, environmental, and development law.
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Trade and investment policies figure prominently in policy debates—and for good reason. These policies not only shape economic opportunities within and between countries; they also affect environmental and natural resource conservation, health and security, poverty reduction, social justice, and economic justice. “In order for global society to fully reap the benefits of trade and investment,” said Law Laboratory for International Sustainable Development Director Sheng Sun MELP’18, “policies need to not only promote growth, but also provide precautionary safeguards against a variety of public interest risks.” That’s why the Law Lab recently launched the Research Initiative on Sustainable Trade and Investment (RISTI), a group of researchers from around the globe studying how trade and investment law and policy interact with other sectors, and challenges and opportunities arising from this interaction. RISTI seeks to build shared knowledge based on evidence and full-
spectrum perspectives from government entities, civil societies, and private companies upstream and downstream. Back on campus, the Lab is preparing the next generation of law and policy practitioners to Derek Tanizaki-Hudson JD’21 confront the challenge of what Sun describes as “the partisan tumult that is becoming an inescapable part of public service.” Derek Tanizaki-Hudson JD’21 joins the Lab this fall as a research associate studying methods of resolving policy conflicts in international renewable energy markets and supply chains. Sun is excited to have TanizakiHudson on the team as they delve into research on real-world policy gridlocks, create space for dialogue and deliberation, and propose innovative ideas for dispute resolution and collaboration. V E R M O N T L A W . E D U / E L C
