Do-Hyun Kim et al. v. South Korea

Summary:

On March 13, 2020, nineteen youth activists filed a complaint in the South Korean Constitutional Court alleging that the nation's climate change law violates their fundamental rights, including the right to live and a clean environment. South Korea's Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth, which was amended in December 2019, commits to reducing annual nationwide greenhouse gases to 536 million tons by 2030, a 24% cut from 2017. The plaintiffs argue that this target is insufficient to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.

The plaintiffs submitted a supplemental complaint on May 15, 2020, to provide the Court with info on the facts and science of climate change, and, in their view, Korea's insufficient response to the threat.

At Issue: South Korean youth filed suit against the government alleging that insufficient action on climate change violates their fundamental rights.