Biography
Max Han is pursuing a Master in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and holds a MSc in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment. His commitment to environmental justice started early as a teenager, from teaching children about climate change to volunteering with conservationists and coastal communities. At age 19, Max co-founded Youths United for Earth (YUFE), an award-winning grassroots nonprofit mobilizing youths for action through local storytelling, campaigns, and advocacy. YUFE now reaches 50,000 people monthly and routinely engages and advises UN agencies, NGOs, and influential stakeholders. Recognised for his work, Max has been honored with the Princess Diana Award, the North American Association for Environmental Education, and Tatler. He is also a National Geographic Young Explorer and the first Southeast Asian to be named a Future Nobel Laureate Scholar.
Currently, Max is working with environmental defenders and policymakers to draft Southeast Asia’s first Environmental Human Rights Framework with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Living in a region already bearing the brunt of climate change, Max believes in the power of local action and decolonization, and aspires to amplify voices from the Global South.
At Oxford, Max is fully committed to learning, unlearning, and relearning how to integrate the perspectives of vulnerable communities and grassroots voices into policymaking. He envisions a just and liveable world, and invites everyone to join him in finding solutions to the climate crisis together.
In his free time, Max loves cooking laksa with his grandma, watching films with his family, and finding peace in nature through hiking.