Seoul, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd May, 2024) When he was a 20-week-old embryo -- before he even had a real name -- Choi Hee-woo became one of the 's youngest-ever plaintiffs by joining a groundbreaking climate lawsuit against . His case, known as "Woodpecker et al. v.
" after Choi's in utero nickname, seeks to prove 's modest climate goals -- reducing carbon emissions by 40 percent of levels by 2030 -- are a violation of their constitutionally guaranteed human rights. In 's first such climate case -- a similar youth-led effort recently succeeded in the US state of , another is ongoing at the European Higher -- the plaintiffs claim 's legally binding climate commitments are insufficient and unmet. "I had no idea an embryo could participate," Choi's mother, Lee Dong-hyun, told AFP, adding that she'd been planning to sign up Choi's older sibling before realising her unborn child could also become a plaintiff.
Choi or "Woodpecker" -- his parents heard the bird's call after learning they were pregnant, Lee said -- is the youngest of the 62 children involved, although most were under five when the suit was first filed in 2022. Lee is confident the will rule with the children -- which could force revisions to 's climate laws, although the scale of any potential changes is not clear. "Considering the future of humanity, it's obvious the should make more active efforts to ensure our survival amid the climate crisis," she said.
"I would be so sorry if my children nev.