Vermont Law School

SOUTH ROYALTON, VT-Vermont Law School (VLS) has been awarded a $350,000 federal grant to support a U.S.-China exchange program for young professionals working in environmental law. Funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State, the educational and cultural exchange will provide leadership training opportunities to 18 Chinese and American women and men, particularly members of minority groups, who are active in environmental justice efforts. Participants in the program will jointly examine the environmental burdens, including climate change impacts, on minority communities and low-income populations in the U.S. and China and will propose ways to advance environmental justice for those communities.

"This program creates a rare opportunity for young legal professionals in China and the U.S. to learn from each other and to work toward a common goal of advancing environmental justice. It will position them for further leadership within their communities and countries," said Vermont Law School Dean and President Geoffrey B. Shields.

Minority groups and low-income populations in China and the U.S. are disproportionately bearing adverse health and environmental effects from pollution. As China overtakes the U.S. in the production of greenhouse gases, the challenges of climate change and clean energy will further affect these marginalized groups. While the environmental injustice problem in China has not attracted the same level of attention as in the U.S., environmental impacts are awakening Chinese citizens to speak out for their right to environmental justice and to seek solutions through laws and regulations.

The program aims to cultivate leadership among these young legal professionals and to provide them with opportunities to gain insights into legal tools, policies, and activism that can assist vulnerable communities in addressing environmental challenges. The participants in the program will attend a series of roundtables, study tours, and hands-on internships in both the U.S. and China. They will examine the issues of environmental justice and climate change through a comparative and collaborative approach and will participate in experiential learning exercises to build mutual approaches to the issues. The participants will spend a total of six weeks together: three weeks in South Royalton, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., and three weeks in Beijing, Yichang, and Guangzhou.