South Korea’s landmark ruling on climate justice
This case is the first of its kind in Asia, and the complainants included children and young people. The part of the ‘Carbon Neutrality Act’ (the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Climate Crisis Response; hereafter, the Act) that was declared unconstitutional is Article 8.1, the part that set national targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The court ruled that Article 8.1 failed to uphold constitutional environmental rights by omitting quantitative reduction targets for 2031–2049. These missing targets undermine the long-term consistency and ambition necessary to address the escalating climate crisis. Although this provision remains temporarily valid until 28 February 2026 (to allow time for legislative amendments), the decision highlights notable deficiencies in South Korea’s climate governance.
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