South Korean court says government must do more to fight climate change
South Korea’s top court said Thursday that the government must do more to fight climate change in a landmark ruling.
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s top court said Thursday that the climate change law did not protect basic human rights and lacks targets to shield future generations, in a landmark ruling after activists blamed the government for failing to effectively tackle climate change.
About 200 plaintiffs including young climate activists and even some infants have filed petitions to the constitutional court since 2020, arguing that their government was violating its citizens’ human rights by not doing enough on climate change.
The court asked the legislature to revise the carbon neutrality act by the end of February 2026, acknowledging that the existing law’s emission targets did not conform to the constitution by violating the duty to protect basic rights as well as failing to protect future generations against a climate crisis.
Climate advocacy groups said it was the first high court ruling on a government’s climate action in Asia, potentially setting a precedent in a region where similar lawsuits have been filed in Taiwan and Japan.
In April, Europe’s top human rights court ruled that the Swiss government had violated the rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change.
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