Dutch court orders government to cut greenhouse gases

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, June 24 (UPI) -- A Netherlands court ordered the government Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

The surprising decision, in a suit brought by the environmental sustainability foundation Urgenda, compels the Netherlands to honor its commitment to cut emissions by accelerating its schedule of construction of windmills and solar energy projects, and reducing gas extraction projects and coal-fired industrial plants. The district court in The Hague ruled that the country would only achieve a maximum 17 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, from 1990 levels, based on present policy.

The plaintiffs argued governments have an obligation to protect citizens from climate change and its effects. The case, and the ruling, is unprecedented and could become a model for environmental efforts in other countries; it is the first time a court has ordered a government to take measures to mitigate climate change.

"It shifts the whole debate. Other cases are being brought in Belgium, the Philippines. This is the start of a wave of climate litigation," commented Jasper Teulings of the environmental organization Greenpeace, who called it a "landmark case."

Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, a Dutch member of the European Parliament, said Wednesday in an e-mail, "This historic ruling will have far-reaching consequences in the Netherlands, Europe and the rest of the world. The Netherlands has now the legal obligation to step up its climate efforts considerably."

The Dutch government can appeal the decision in a higher court, and it remains unclear how the ruling will be enforced.