South Korea's Constitutional Court has issued a ruling ordering the government to enhance its climate goals with more concrete plans for action through 2049. This decision comes as a partial victory for climate campaigners who have been advocating for more aggressive measures to combat climate change.
The court's assessment was made in response to four climate cases brought forward by 254 plaintiffs, many of whom were young individuals when they initiated the complaints in 2020. These plaintiffs argued that South Korea's current target of reducing carbon emissions by 35% from 2018 levels by 2030 is insufficient to address the challenges posed by climate change. They also highlighted the lack of detailed implementation plans to support these objectives.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs pointed out the absence of plans to reduce carbon emissions beyond 2031, despite the country's overarching goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. They contended that South Korea's perceived lenient climate policies jeopardize their human rights by exposing them to potential environmental degradation and climate-related harm.
While the court did not mandate the government to establish a more ambitious 2030 target under the carbon neutrality act, it did uphold the plaintiffs' argument regarding the necessity of setting emission reduction plans for the period from 2031 to 2049. The government has been directed to amend the carbon neutrality law by February 28, 2026, to incorporate these plans.
The South Korean government has not yet provided a response to the court's ruling, which underscores the significance of the ongoing debate surrounding climate policy and the need for more robust measures to address climate change.
