Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Jia Yaw was invited to speak on the development of climate lawsuits and how it is shaping the climate governance landscape in Malaysia.
Climate Governance Malaysia and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands jointly organised a webinar series for knowledge sharing among business leaders, policymakers, practitioners and experts. The webinar series features insights on integrating sustainability into corporate strategy, governance, and business operations.
This session, entitled “Strategies Behind Climate Lawsuits” explored the potential of judicial intervention as a pathway to address climate change. These legal actions demonstrate how existing legal frameworks can be leveraged to uphold emissions reduction policies by the government and businesses, as well as creating wider socio-political impacts that shape the narrative of climate responsibility.
Assoc. Prof. Tim Bleeker, Climate Lawyer and Associate Professor, (Faculty of Law, Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam) delivered the keynote address. He highlighted the growing trend of climate litigation that increasingly targets the private sector, apart from cases directed towards existing state responsibility and liability.
The panel session was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Datin Dr. Maizatun Mustafa, Associate Professor in Environmental Law (Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia) and featured Elizabeth Wu, Lead Advisor, Environmental Justice and Transnational Governance (Climate Governance Malaysia) as the other panellist.
Jia Yaw shared about how groups advocating for climate accountability use climate litigation as a storytelling tool. He underscored how legal action can shine the light on the devastating impacts of incoherent climate governance and irresponsible economic development on human rights and fundamental freedoms. While public interest litigation is inherently adversarial, Jia Yaw advised that a resilient business organisation should engage constructively with civil society, as the journey to climate resilience lies in cross-sector collaboration. This is crucial as a first step in demanding accountability from the public and private sectors, on a duty that has been reaffirmed by the latest International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion.
Read CGM’s excellent summary of the session here: https://www.cgmalaysia.com/post/a-malaysia-netherlands-dialogue-private-sector-approaches-to-sustainability-strategies-behind-cli
Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/xjdV6ej0Pts?si=_RNUG-9h6nVj65bd