Editorial: Adults must share sense of peril following Japan’s 1st youth-led climate lawsuit

Global warming is a negative legacy of our modern society having prioritized economic activity over the environment. If this situation continues, worsening natural disasters and other effects will be unavoidable, and it is the future generations who will bear the brunt of the impact.

A lawsuit has been filed at the Nagoya District Court by 16 young people from different places in their teens to 20s. The plaintiffs are suing 10 major thermal power plant operators to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in what is reportedly the first such legal action by a group of young people in the country.

What inspired the young plaintiffs to act was the sense of danger felt in day-to-day life. Among their claims are that insufferably hot weather has made it difficult to concentrate on studies and has limited club activities and that they have been deprived of opportunities to enjoy skiing.

Demonstrations and signature drives have been tried as ways to evoke stronger measures, but to no avail as adults have been slow to respond. Junior high school students, who lack voting rights, are also represented, reportedly putting their hopes in the judiciary.

In order to achieve the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages, CO2 emissions must be reduced by 48% from 2019 levels by 2030. The plaintiffs are claiming that the measures boasted of by 10 energy companies fall short. They are asking for a reduction of emissions conforming to the international aims, claiming that their rights and interests are being violated.

In domestic lawsuits up to this point, the link between greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and damages suffered by plaintiffs due to global warming has been judged as “weak,” and their eligibility as plaintiffs was also denied.

Since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, the number of lawsuits of this kind skyrocketed in other countries. Judgments have begun to favor the plaintiffs, such as environmental and citizens’ groups which have insisted that climate change amounts to violations of human rights.

Businesses in Japan must take the lawsuit seriously and recognize their responsibility in causing global warming. It is also a must for the Japanese government to rethink its energy strategy which has been dependent on fossil fuels.

Natural disasters such as torrential rains, often linked to climate change, are striking a number of places. Intense heat continuing day after day also brings about no end to the number of heatstroke patients transported to the hospital. Summer festivals and other local events have even been canceled.

It is time to directly face the fact that the abnormal has become the norm. The problem can no longer be kicked down the road for future generations to deal with. Now, more than ever, adults should listen to the voices of youth.