South Korean Children Sue Government Over Climate Change
In a landmark climate lawsuit, a group of 62 children, including an infant, is suing South Korea's government over failures to reduce carbon emissions, saying this violates their human rights.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 17-month-old Choi Hee-woo, still learning to walk, is one of the world's youngest ever
00:09 plaintiffs in a groundbreaking climate lawsuit.
00:13 He's one of 62 children suing the government of South Korea for not effectively tackling
00:18 climate change, violating their human rights.
00:22 It's the first lawsuit of its kind in Asia.
00:25 "We want a just society, not a crisis!"
00:31 Represented by his mother, Choi joined the case as an embryo, before he even had a proper
00:36 name.
00:37 His parents called him "Woodpecker," which then became the title of the lawsuit.
00:42 His mother, worried for the planet's future, decided to take legal action.
00:46 "If we can't enjoy this beautiful spring again, I feel so sorry for the children, but
00:53 I think we need to cherish every moment of this day and live on."
01:04 In 2021, South Korea's commitment to reduce carbon emissions was enshrined into law, setting
01:10 a concrete target and establishing a framework for achieving it.
01:15 Two hundred and ninety million tons by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050.
01:21 To hit that goal, the country needs to reduce emissions by 5.4 percent every year, which
01:27 it has failed to do.
01:29 Plaintiffs believe tackling climate change is not being taken seriously, despite a government
01:34 body being created specifically to oversee its strategy.
01:38 "If we achieve this goal, the children who were left behind will become adults, and the
01:46 children who are left behind will become adults, and we need to reduce carbon emissions and
01:52 endure the pain."
01:57 Like Choi, most of the children involved were under five years old when the suit was filed,
02:02 their parents taking charge to fight for their futures.
02:05 "When we look at the future of mankind, we think that it is better to survive in this
02:12 way, and that the government should make more active efforts to do so."
02:20 Similar lawsuits against government inaction have been filed in other parts of the world.
02:25 Some have already been successful.
02:28 In Colombia, the government was ordered to protect the Amazon, after being sued by youth
02:32 climate activists.
02:33 While in the U.S. and Norway, youth groups won lawsuits to halt fossil fuel projects.
02:40 These wins give hope to the plaintiffs in South Korea, in their fight for a future full
02:45 of beautiful spring days.
02:47 Alex Chen and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.
02:49 "It's not a crisis, it's time for a change!"
02:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]