Over 200 people , include more than 60 children and babe , have entered a landmark legal battle against the South Korean government over their response ( or miss therefrom ) to climate change .
Four cases between 2020 and 2023 were merged and put in front of South Korea ’s Constitutional Court last calendar month . As reported byNature , the South Korean lawcourt started its second and last hearing of the casing on Tuesday , May 21 . A decisiveness on the case is look later this year .
One of the casing , Woodpecker et al . v. South Korea , involves a baby boy who was not yet carry when his parents filed the case in 2022 on his behalf , along with 61 other plaintiffs under the age of five .
The claimants argue the government ofSouth Koreahas not done enough to slim greenhouse gas emissions and curb the impact of climate variety . As such , they claim , the body politic is fail to protect their fundamental right wing , admit the right field to lifetime , the right to pursue felicity , the right to general exemption , the right to property , and the right to a healthy surroundings .
Whilesimilar legal instance have been launchedin the Americas and Europe – with some succeeder – the case is the first climate litigation of its form in East Asia .
South Korea isheavily dependent on fossil fuel , with around60 percentof its electricity in 2023being generatedby coal , gas , and oil . Some step have been taken to remedy the trouble . In 2021 , South Koreaupdatedits commitment to reduce greenhouse flatulency by 40 pct by 2030 equate to 2018 storey .
Despite their well - intentioned words , many argue the government is n’t taking the issue seriously enough . South Korea ’s rating for its action against climate variety is classified as “ extremely deficient ” byClimate Action Tracker , meaning their current climate policies and commitments are not ordered with the Paris Agreement ’s 1.5 ° C ( 2.7 ° F ) temperature limit .
“ strategical litigation is a powerful tool which is being increasingly used to implement DoS ’ binding obligation to protect people ’s rightfulness from the untoward impact of the clime crisis and assure there is no backsliding on the outside commitments they made in 2015 to foreclose mean world temperatures from rising above 1.5 ° C this century , ” Jiyoun Yoo , Amnesty International Korea ’s Climate Justice Campaigner , suppose in astatement .
“ The mood crisis is already upon us but the issue will be mat up even more intensely by next generations . casing like this are critical to safeguard citizen ’s right . accept sound activity against a State Department is often a longsighted and arduous mental process which call for forbearance and perseverance and the courage of these initiate plaintiffs is to be admire and applauded , ” sum up Yoo .
Over half of climate shell around the man havereportedlyseen “ favourable ” final result , although there ’s somedebate about whether climate litigationactually has a meaningful impact on clime variety . Whether or not they win in tourist court , however , these variety of high - profile display case do boost public awareness and gradually build pressure against governments and corporations to play .
