"By helping to strengthen China's environmental laws and policies and increasing the Chinese public's awareness of environmental issues, VLS will open doors for future cooperation between our two countries on global environmental challenges. —U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy

Vermont Law School/Sun Yat-sen University Partnership for Environmental Law in China

According to a recent report, China has now overtaken the U.S. in total carbon emissions—years earlier than recently predicted. Two thirds of China’s energy derives from coal, and rising industrialization has the country mining and burning more than ever, as well as shopping for other countries’ oil and gas.

In 2006, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Vermont Law School embarked on a partnership with Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) for environmental law in China. SYSU, which includes one of the most well-respected law schools in China, is leading its country in the increasingly critical specialty of environmental law. The goal of the VLS/SYSU partnership is to strengthen China’s rule of law in environmental protection and to build capacity to solve pollution and natural resource management problems.

Please click on the links above to learn more about the program and explore ways to become involved.