[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] A 'climate change lawsuit' with babies under the age of 5 as the main plaintiffs was filed on the 13th. This is the first time that babies under 5 have filed a climate lawsuit as the main plaintiffs.
The Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) announced that on the same day, they submitted a constitutional complaint petition to the Constitutional Court on behalf of fetuses in the womb, babies, and children, challenging Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Basic Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Climate Crisis Response.
Minbyun argued that the Enforcement Decree's stipulation of the national greenhouse gas reduction target of 40% by 2030 compared to 2018 violates the fundamental rights of future generations and is unconstitutional. The complaint stated, "The target is insufficient to protect the lives and safety of the plaintiffs," and added, "It does not constitute an appropriate and effective minimum measure to protect the rights to life, pursuit of happiness, general freedom of action, equality, property rights, and the right to live in a healthy and pleasant environment, thereby directly infringing on the plaintiffs' fundamental rights."
The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is a 20-week-old fetus with the prenatal name 'Ddakttaguri' (Woodpecker), and 39 babies born since 2017 along with 22 children aged 6 to 10 are also named as plaintiffs.
Previously, the Constitutional Court recognized the capacity of fetuses to be constitutional complaint plaintiffs, stating that "all humans are subjects of the constitutional right to life, and fetuses in formation must also be recognized as having the right to life."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
