Biography
Max Han is pursuing a BA (Hons) in Environmental Studies at Yale-NUS College, with a focus on environmental justice. His commitment to environmental action 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), Malaysia’s leading grassroots nonprofit mobilizing youths for action through local storytelling, campaigns, and advocacy. YUFE now hosts Malaysia’s largest annual environmental mentorship program and routinely engages UN agencies, NGOs, and influential stakeholders. Recognised for his work, Max has been honored with the Diana Award and EE 30 Under 30 of the North American Association for Environmental Education.
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.