The Transnational Environmental Law Clinic (TELC) at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) plays a critical role in addressing global environmental challenges by creating a platform for students to work on legal and policy research projects for partner organizations in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and other Asian countries. Students learn about specific environmental challenges in these countries and the gaps in their laws and policies that need to be addressed.

The clinic also supports the work of the U.S.-Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law. With project topics such as how to provide a just transition to climate change law, public participation in climate governance, and renewable energy laws and policies, students conduct in-depth practical and comparative research to assist the partnering organizations’ environmental advocacy and legal reform work.

Julie Oh JD'25 is a TELC student clinician. Before coming to VLGS, she was in Washington, DC, studying environmental metrology, which is the study of taking measurements in the environment to identify, quantify, and access hazardous pollutants. While working in a lab during the pandemic, she noticed that countries would ask the U.S. for their research and advice. This spurred her interest in international environmental law and ultimately brought her to VLGS.

Now, Julie is working on the Transnational Environmental Law Clinic's project "Provincial/State Climate Law and Just Transition," which focuses on strategies to implement climate laws within a Chinese province. She explained that on a national level, the Chinese government has climate goals to meet, but the issue is how provinces can implement the regulations the national law has mandated.

In the U.S., states have similar struggles. What can a state do to implement environmental federal laws? With her analytical training, Julie's perspective is practical and grounded. She is taking what she has learned about U.S. domestic law and applying it to the capabilities of Fujian Province in China. First, she gained an understanding of China's environmental law and policy system. Then she was able to compare and contrast U.S. and Chinese environmental laws and policies.

The TELC project team found that Vermont had some very effective responses as the state works to meet its sustainability goals. Julie thought that the climate action plan in the Vermont Global Warming Solutions Act contained some ideas that could transfer across to Fujian Province. The team is creating a report for this Chinese province to show them how they can incorporate Vermont’s ideas into their policies.

"It is fulfilling to help people by discovering and sharing information they can't find on their own and to know that they can have a plan for climate change," Julie said. She explained that public policy needs data to back it up and the data shows us that it's not only about America and learning the jurisdiction of just one state or nation. It is vital to learn and work with other nations across continents. "Climate change doesn't have borders or boundaries. You need to understand more than just your jurisdictional analytical framework because it's not limited to the institutional designs of America but how law and policy work in different countries. It's about how we help each other and how we talk about measuring these little successes. I realize these differences won't be managed right away. It's a very long fight. It's a very long process with little steps. But I also realize that we need to help a broad society make these little steps."

As Julie's project demonstrates through the work comparing Vermont's state laws to the provincial laws of China, the clinic utilizes channels across nations to share relevant information and assist with processes and results. Through group discussions, collaboration, and creating reports, the clinic allows the students to share ideas and develop legal strategies with other countries.

Her experience highlights the significance of the clinic's collective efforts and the power of small steps in building a sustainable future. With each step, the Transnational Environmental Law Clinic equips VLGS students like Julie with the knowledge and skills necessary to address pressing environmental issues on a global level.