SINGAPORE - Multilateral environmental treaties and lawsuits against fossil fuel firms have recently propelled environmental law into the spotlight, but appetite for this branch of law was more subdued some 30 years ago.

In 1996, the legal sector’s preference was to focus on banking or commercial law, recalled Professor Chin Tet Yung, who was then the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore. But he gave his stamp of approval for the formation of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL) that year.

For his foresight, Prof Chin was one of 33 environmentalists lauded by the Good Stories movement during a celebratory event hosted by APCEL on July 29. It was the first time that these awards have been given out in Singapore.

Prof Chin specialised in criminal, contract and information technology law, but said he recognised the importance of environmental law. “We wanted an area of law that we could develop, and one which would become immensely beneficial and important in the foreseeable future, not just in Singapore but in Asean and globally,” Prof Chin said.

Since its inception, APCEL has conducted intensive training programmes for lawyers in the Asia-Pacific region, taught by environmental law professors from all over the world. Research areas include marine plastics pollution and business & sustainability.

Environmental litigation has taken off in recent times, with lawsuits filed against fossil fuel interests globally and in South-east Asia.

For example, in April 2022, 50 representatives from the Omkoi community - an indigenous group from the remote mountains of northern Thailand - filed a lawsuit against the Thai government to oppose a coal mine project by a local mining company, 99 Thuwanon Co. In September that year, the court issued an order for temporary protection of the area, suspending activities of the coal mining project until a final judgement is reached.

Landmark environmental treaties, including the historic High Seas Treaty, have also provided a legal framework that will pave the way for marine protected areas to be established in international waters, outside any nation’s jurisdictions.

Launched in 2022, the Good Stories movement honours individuals, non-governmental organisations and government agencies who have contributed positively to the environment through land, air and water conservation.

The movement is led by Filipino attorney Antonio Oposa, who is kno...