Youth in South Korea Wins Landmark Climate Lawsuit, Paving Way for Climate Legislation Battles in Asia

In a series of groundbreaking decisions, courts in Asia and Europe have ruled in favour of climate activists, ordering governments to take more decisive action against greenhouse gas emissions.

In a historic first for Asia, the Constitutional Court of South Korea ruled that the country's measures to combat climate change are insufficient for protecting the rights of its citizens. The court's verdict, delivered on Thursday, marks the end of a four-year legal battle initiated by young activists from The Youth 4 Climate Action. The unanimous decision comes as a significant victory for the global climate movement.

Sarah Mead, Co-Director of the Climate Litigation Network, noted that South Korea's ruling sends an unequivocal message that climate action is a legal duty. She believes this decision will have a positive ripple effect throughout the region.

The South Korean government has pledged to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2018 levels by the end of the decade. However, the court ruled that this target was sufficient. Hundreds of activists helped consolidate three additional legal actions, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to 255.

Meanwhile, in Europe, environmental groups CAN Europe and the Global Legal Action Network sued the European Commission over allegedly inadequate emission reduction targets this week.

The story is not limited to South Korea and Europe. In Indonesia, 14 individuals have lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, alleging that the government is infringing on their constitutional rights by not implementing adequate mitigation and adaptation measures. The plaintiffs claim to have faced life-threatening hazards, reduced physical and mental well-being, increased health risks, food and water insecurity, along with disruption to their education and livelihoods because of climate change.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan saw its first-ever youth climate lawsuit filed by a group of young activists earlier this month.

One-third of the plaintiffs in the South Korean case were children or teenagers at the time of the filings. Yoon Hyeon-jeong, one of the young activists involved, delivered a tearful speech outside the court, stating that the court ruled that their right to live a safe life from the climate crisis should be guaranteed.

A climate litigation case in Taiwan is awaiting resolution in its Constitutional Court, accusing Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs' Regulation for Large Power Consumers of being unambitious and in breach of the country's climate laws. The court stated that the absence of legally binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions between 2031 and 2049 means the government cannot guarantee the protection of future generations. The government was given until February 2026 to set firm carbon-reduction targets for 2031 and beyond.

These climate litigation cases are part of a growing trend worldwide. Dozens of similar cases are currently pending across the globe. The verdicts in South Korea and other regions serve as a powerful reminder that the fight against climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a human rights one as well.

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Youth in South Korea Wins Landmark Climate Lawsuit, Paving Way for Climate Legislation Battles in Asia