South Korean growers sue state power utility, blaming climate change for crop damage

South Korean farmers have launched an unprecedented legal battle against the nation’s largest power utility, claiming that its reliance on fossil fuels has accelerated climate change and damaged their livelihoods.

Hwang Seong-yeol, a rice farmer with three decades of experience, watched with concern as his combine harvester worked through one of his most difficult harvests in memory. Standing at the edge of his golden field in Seosan, South Korea, he described how erratic weather patterns had devastated his crop yield.

“It’s really unsettling – we know how much rice we should normally get from 25 acres of land, but the yield has been steadily declining every year,” said Hwang, who expects this year’s harvest to be 20-25% below normal.

Hwang is one of five farmers who recently filed a lawsuit against Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and its subsidiaries, arguing that their heavy dependence on coal and other fossil fuels has directly contributed to the climate-related agricultural damages they’re experiencing.

The lawsuit, the first of its kind in South Korea, raises profound questions about whether power companies’ contributions to climate change can be quantified and linked to specific agricultural losses. Yeny Kim, a lawyer with the Seoul-based nonprofit Solutions for Our Climate who is handling the case, argues that KEPCO’s operations represent approximately 0.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, based on her analysis of public data.

“Therefore, they should also bear 0.4% of the responsibility for the farmers’ losses,” Kim said.

The legal action comes after South Korea experienced its hottest year on record in 2023, triggering what government reports described as a series of “agricultural disasters.” These included devastating summer rains that destroyed thousands of hectares of cropland, followed by intense heat waves that further damaged crops, particularly rice – a staple of the Korean diet and a culturally significant crop.

For Hwang, the changing climate has manifested in a particularly challenging growing season. An unusually cold spring stunted plant growth, followed by summer floods and a remarkably wet autumn that fostered fungal diseases. When he finally harvested in late October, it was only the second dry day after 18 consecutive days of rain.

“We began to question why it’s always the farmers – who haven’t done anything wrong – that end up suffering the consequences of the climate crisis,” Hwang said. “Shouldn’t we be demanding something from those who are actually causing it?”

The lawsuit seeks initial damage claims of 5 million won ($3,400) per plaintiff, though this amount may be adjusted as the case proceeds. In a symbolic gesture, the farmers are also seeking 2,035 won ($1.4) each to urge the government to phase out coal power plants by 2035, five years ahead of its current 2040 target.

KEPCO, which holds a monopoly on electricity transmission in South Korea, declined to comment specifically on the lawsuit, stating it “cannot share information that could influence the verdict.” However, the utility told The Associated Press that it considers carbon reduction a key responsibility and cited its goal of cutting emissions 40% by 2030 from 2018 levels.

Energy experts note that KEPCO faces significant financial constraints that limit its ability to rapidly transition to cleaner energy sources. The utility carries a debt burden exceeding 200 trillion won ($137 billion), accumulated over decades of government policies that maintained artificially low electricity rates for households and industries.

This debt has restricted KEPCO’s capacity to expand and modernize the power grid or make substantial investments in renewable energy infrastructure. Consequently, renewables accounted for only 10.5% of South Korea’s energy mix in 2023, while the five KEPCO subsidiaries relied on coal for more than 71% of their electricity production.

The impact of climate change extends beyond rice farming. Ma Yong-un, an apple farmer in southeastern Hamyang, described using more pesticides as pests and diseases become harder to control due to prolonged heat and humidity.

“I think about that every day,” Ma said, expressing concerns about his family’s future. “The biggest concern is my children.”

While some experts question whether blame can fall solely on KEPCO for agricultural losses from a global phenomenon like climate change, the lawsuit highlights South Korea’s need for a more effective approach to renewable energy. The country is expected to reach its target of 32.95% renewable energy by around 2038 – significantly slower than the 33.49% average already achieved in 2023 among developed economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

This slow transition to clean energy could potentially hinder South Korea’s economic ambitions in advanced industries like semiconductors and artificial intelligence, as global tech companies face increasing pressure to power operations with renewable energy.

“Climate change and carbon neutrality are not just environmental concerns — they are economic issues, ultimately about jobs and our survival,” said Yun Sun-Jin, a professor at Seoul National University.