Advancing Climate Action through the Rule of Law

A cohort of University of Washington School of Law students and scholars, led by Professor Xuan-Thao Nguyen, transformed misinformation about climate action into a Rule of Law research project. The group then traveled to Da Nang to present its research and recommendations directly to the Viet Nam International Financial Center in Da Nang City (VIFC-DN) and to stakeholders throughout Central Vietnam.

Professor Nguyen convened the research group, which included third-year J.D. student Kai Zhao, second-year J.D. students Isabella Carreno, Nelly Muyia, Diego Soto-Eisenberg and Hiro Fu, and alumni Jasmin Bolte, J.D. ’26, and Betty Yu, J.D. ’26. Nguyen is the director of UW Law's Asian Law Center and the Pendleton Miller Chair in Law.

Prompted by reports of the current U.S. government’s efforts to roll back policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, the group examined the Paris Agreement, carbon compliance vs. voluntary markets, carbon credit registries, carbon exchanges, nature-based carbon removal projects, and carbon-credit trading in the EU, South Korea, China, Colombia, Japan and California.

To develop their recommendations, they also took a closer look at how multinational companies like Microsoft, Google, Tencent, Singapore Airlines and JPMorgan, among others, are preventing greenwashing, procuring carbon credits, providing financing, and supporting the local communities where high-quality carbon credits are developed and traded.

On Sep. 10–11, 2026, the research team presented its findings and recommendations to government officials, attorneys and other stakeholders at the Carbon Market Roundtable in Da Nang City, organized by the Viet Nam International Financial Center in Da Nang City (VIFC-DN) and the World Bank International Finance Corporation (IFC) in collaboration with the UW Asian Law Center.

Following the roundtable, the research team traveled to Hanoi and presented their work at the VNU University of Law, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-UL) and the Hanoi Law University; both are partners of UW Law. Also on this trip, officials at VNU-UL formally recognized Professor Nguyen’s collaborative partnership over the last twenty-six years by presenting her with the Medal of Recognition for Contributions to the Development of Vietnam National University.