APCEL Research Associate, Yang Huiwen’s article on “From Empire to Equity: Why the International Maritime Organisation Struggles to Internalise Climate Differentiation?” published by the Chinese Journal of Transnational Law is now available. In her article, Huiwen critically examines why the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has persistently resisted operationalising the climate-law principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) in regulating greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.

In Southeast Asia, where economies, governance systems, and social conditions are highly diverse, translating just transition principles into policy requires contextual sensitivity. This article examines how just transition is being understood and pursued across the region using the JUST framework, which integrates multiple dimensions of justice, alongside spatial and temporal considerations. Drawing on regional policy developments, legal frameworks, and selected country examples, the article highlights persistent gaps in procedural inclusion, uneven distribution of transition costs and benefits, and limited recognition of indigenous and vulnerable communities.

APCEL Academic Fellow Justin Lim’s article, ‘Singapore on Thames’ Metropolitan Dreams and Planning Regimes is published in the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. In his article, Justin critically compares the UK and Singapore planning regimes within their constitutional contexts and sheds light on how divergent approaches to planning may secure different outcomes.

APCEL Director Associate Professor Jolene Lin examines the potential for transnational litigation to advance corporate climate accountability. It also seeks to identify pathways for future research that can underpin a rewarding and meaningful research agenda on climate justice in the Global South.

In the maritime regime fairness is expressed through uniform rule application. When IMO turns to regulate climate-related issue, these divergent fairness grammars collide: one pushes toward differentiation and structural change, while the other secures stability through uniformity.  In her article, APCEL Research Associate Yang Huiwen, proposes a perspective for understanding and bridging the normative tensions that arise when legal regimes interact, using the law-making process in international shipping decarbonisation as its focal point.

On 8 April 2026, the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL) and EW Barker Centre for Law & Business (EWBCLB) at the National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law, and the Asian Law Schools Association (ALSA) co-hosted a workshop on Corporate Sustainability. Both Virginia Harper Ho, Professor of Law at City University of Hong Kong and Visiting Scholar Professor at EWBCLB, and Jolene Lin, Associate Professor, and director of APCEL at NUS Law are co-chairs of the ALSA’s Environmental and Sustainability Chapter. They led the discussion on two papers that addressed major issues in sustainable business law. The workshop was attended by young and established scholars from the three entities, fostering a lively interdisciplinary conversation.

On 18-19 March 2026, APCEL Post-Doctorate Fellow Justine Muller and Academic Fellow Justin Lim participated in the ‘Securing Justice for the Planet: Opportunities for, and barriers to, course correction’ conference hosted by Macquarie University. The conference was organised by the Environmental law Research Centre at Macquarie University.

APCEL Senior Research Fellow, Sean D. Tseng, and NUS Emeritus Professor Lye Lin-Heng’s Singapore chapter in the International Encyclopedia of Laws (IEL): Environmental Law is now available online. The monograph is a comprehensive country report on Singapore’s environmental legal system and it provides a systematic overview of how environmental law works in Singapore.

APCEL Researcher Featured in Lianhe Zaobao The Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL) is pleased to share that our researcher has been featured in Lianhe Zaobao, one of Singapore’s leading Chinese-language newspapers. The article highlighted commentary by Dr Justine Muller, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at APCEL, National University of Singapore, on the legal and policy implications of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. In the interview, Dr Muller noted that while 145 countries have endorsed the Declaration,the instrument lacks the specificity and binding force typically associated with multilateral environmental agreements. In particular, she observed that the absence of clearly defined targets and reporting obligations constrains robust evaluation of its effectiveness.

On 5-6 February, APCEL hosted a team of practitioners, campaigners, and scholars to discuss the way the past strategies of the movement for the Advisory Opinion should inform our future strategies for climate law and policy. The workshop featured discussions about the ways movement lawyering played a significant role in shaping the legal thought and practice during the Advisory Proceedings.

This 2025 newsletter celebrates another exciting year for the Asia Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL). APCEL hosted several high-profile events, including the Just Transition in Southeast Asia, the Roundtable on COP29, and the Ocean Futures Symposium, co-hosted with Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. These events allowed us to strengthen our local, regional and global partnerships and to foster collaboration on environmental law research and practice. We also welcomed our first Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF) Fellow, Dr. Param Pandya. Our researchers have been busy and their work has received international recognition such as the European Society of International Law’s Collaborative Book Prize 2025 for Litigating Climate Change in the Global South (Oxford University Press, 2024) We are deeply grateful for the support of our collaborators, fellows, and partners, whose contributions has made 2025 of meaningful progress, and we invite you to read our amazing journey.

On 23 January 2026, APCEL hosted the book launch of, "International Financial Institutions and Sustainable Development" by Dr Johanna Aleria P. Lorenzo, Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam. Balancing theoretical and practice-oriented elements, the book addresses a variety of fields, including international sustainable development law and the environmental and social policies of international financial institutions. It also discusses the case law of independent accountability mechanisms that interpret those policies and afford recourse to individuals and communities adversely affected by development projects.