Ferth Vandensteen Lusung Manaysay
Deputy Chair of Climate Action Working Group
Ferth Vandensteen Lusung Manaysay is Deputy Chair of Climate Action Working Group at World Order Lab. He is also a Senior Learning and Programme Coordinator at Climate Catalyst, where he works on programs focused on steel decarbonization and sustainable chemicals in Asia.
He is currently pursuing a PhD in Government and International Studies at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, where he concurrently serves as a Research Fellow at the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies (LEWI). His research interests include environmental politics, sustainability transitions, climate policy and governance, and Southeast Asian regionalism. His doctoral research examines the development of ASEAN regional plastics governance agenda, focusing on how marine debris and circular economy approaches are framed, negotiated, and institutionalized through regional environmental cooperation.
Ferth holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the Department of Geography and Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science, a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman. He has received several competitive scholarships, including the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, Belt and Road Scholarship, Chevening Scholarship, Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, and Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP).
He was selected for the inaugural cohort of the McCain Institute’s Global Leaders Program and served as an Academic Fellow for Global Environmental Issues at the East-West Center through the U.S. Department of State’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). He has over a decade of experience in programme management, research and policy advocacy, and stakeholder engagement in the Philippines and internationally. His previous affiliations include Yayasan Peta Bencana (Disaster Map Foundation Indonesia), The Climate Reality Project, The Asia Foundation, the Philippine Office of Civil Defense, and the Ateneo School of Government.
Outside his professional and academic work, Ferth enjoys travelling, exploring different cultures, and musical theatre. He has also performed in a couple of musical theatre productions in the past.
Language: Filipino (Native), English (C2), Japanese (A1), Korean (A1), Indonesian (A1).
Education:
Doctor of Philosophy, Government and International Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University (2025 - 2028)Master of Science, Environmental Policy and Regulation
Department of Geography and Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science (2023 - 2024)Master of Arts, International Relations
Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University (2017 - 2019)Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman (2010 - 2014)
Ferth Vandensteen Lusung Manaysay
Deputy Chair,
Climate Action Working Group
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Research Interests
ASEAN
Circular Economy
Climate Policy and Diplomacy
Environmental Politics and Governance
Global Environmental Governance
Sustainability Transitions
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Regional Focus
Philippines
Indonesia
India
Vietnam
Southeast Asia
Indo-Pacific
Asia-Pacific
Selected Articles & Publications
Building Bank Capacity for India’s Steel Transition: Lessons from Our Pilot Workshops
Climate Catalyst | September 24, 2026 | Co-Authored with Abhinav Soman & Sakshi BalaniEnvisioning a Transition Towards a Circular Economy for Plastics: Policy Narratives in the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations of the Philippines and Vietnam
Asian Politics and Policy | April 6, 2026Are Public and Private Climate Finance Delivering on the Goals of the Paris Agreement?
Key Debates in Sustainable Investment | April 21, 2026 | Co-Authored with Amy Cano Prentice, Meutia Riana Sukma, Hao Zhong, & Padraig OliverFinancing India’s Steel Transition: Five Key Actions to Accelerate Decarbonisation
Climate Catalyst | 2025 | Co-Authored with Emily HicksonTurning Off the Plastic Tap and Advancing a Circular Economy Through Extended Producer Responsibility: Policy Narratives in Vietnam and the Philippines
LSE Southeast Asia Blog | January 23, 2025Can Ship Recycling Green India’s Steel Sector? 5 Key Findings from Our Research
Climate Catalyst | December 17, 2024 | Co-Authored with Nandan Sharalaya & Sakshi BalaniEleventh Hour: Youth Leaders Sound the Alarm at COP27
Manila Bulletin | January 12, 2023Eleventh Hour: Can Social Media Chatbots Save Filipinos from Climate Disasters?
Manila Bulletin | October 29, 2021Frictional Binaries: Hybridity, Civil Society, and Liberal-Local Peacebuilding in Mindanao
Operationalisation of Hybrid Peacebuilding in Asia: From Theory to Practice | April 7, 2021 | Co-Authored with Jovanie Camacho EspesorNorms from Above, Movements from Below
Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights | June 28, 2020
Illustrating Political Discourse: Comics and the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies | July, 2019
Event Participations
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