Focus

Joyce Melcar Tan works with civil society, regulators, and the private sector to facilitate the Asian transition to a climate-neutral economy, with a focus on the Philippines. She works to increase recognition in the legal and corporate sectors of climate-related risks as material financial risks that companies should actively manage and provide meaningful disclosures on. She also leads efforts to enhance capacity for climate and environmental law practice in Asia (ex-China).

Joyce joined ClientEarth in February 2020 and is currently based in our London office.

Experience

Joyce has worked on climate change, human rights, energy and natural resources regulation, disaster governance, strategic litigation, environmental law education and South-South collaboration in the Philippines and Colombia. She has participated in the UN climate and biodiversity treaty negotiations as part of civil society, independent reporting services, and the Philippine delegation. She was also previously an associate at SyCipLaw in the Philippines, where her work included energy and environmental regulation.

Education

Joyce has an MSc in Environment and Development, with distinction, from the University of Edinburgh, where she was a Chevening scholar. She obtained her JD with honours from Ateneo de Manila School of Law, Philippines. She is qualified in the Philippines and in the State of New York, USA (non-practising).

Law backed by science is a powerful tool to drive systemic change and ensure that global models of growth do not destabilise the climate or destroy biomes irreversibly. ClientEarth provides the opportunity to develop this tool in the effort to reshape how human activities impact our environment, in order to protect both people and planet.