Please join the China Law & Policy Association to welcome Ms. Caidan Cao, Head of the Legal Unit for Greenpeace East Asia, for a discussion on environmental justice and sound environmental governance. Some questions she’ll be covering include: how can we fill the gap between international law and domestic law? How can we defend fundamental environmental rights and seek governments’ compliance with the law? And how can we serve as advocates in environmental legislation and policy-making? The significance and urgency of environmental protection and effects of climate change are being realized by millions of people around the world. The legacy of “Silent Spring” is increasingly being recognized in East Asia. We live in a time when environmental lawyers, the legal community, and civil society need to be courageous, bold, and determined to face the significant challenges facing our planet. However, how should we understand the role of environmental lawyers and the impact of environmental law regarding East Asia’s declared goals for social progress?

Ms. Caidan Cao manages Greenpeace’s cross-jurisdictional legal work in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. She is dedicated to promoting positive change in environmental law legislation and policies at both the national and international level. She has worked on several landmark strategic lawsuits in East Asia, which have set legal precedent resulting in broad social impact.