The first lawsuit to challenge national climate policies in East Asia could lead to more cases of its kind in the region, say researchers. On 21 May, the South Korean constitutional court will hold its second and final hearing of the case. In the landmark challenge, babies, children, adults and even an unborn child filed petitions to sue the South Korean government for not doing enough to tackle climate change. The plaintiffs claim that the government’s climate goals are too weak, threatening their right to live in a healthy environment.

Such a case is unheard of in East Asia, but similar cases have been filed in places including the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, India and Brazil. Sejong Youn, who is a legal counsel for the case in Seoul, says, “If we have a favourable precedent in South Korea, I think that will really be a trigger in spreading this trend.”