Judgment in The Hague orders Netherlands to do more to protect Caribbean people in its territory from impacts of climate crisis
The Dutch government discriminated against people in one of its most vulnerable territories by not helping them adapt to climate change, a court has found.
The judgment, announced on Wednesday in The Hague, chastises the Netherlands for treating people on the island of Bonaire, in the Caribbean, differently to inhabitants of the European part of the country and for not doing its fair share to cut national emissions.
To address this, the court has ordered the state to develop a proper adaptation plan for Bonaire and put in place tougher greenhouse gas targets.
The lawsuit was initially brought by a group of people from Bonaire, with Greenpeace Nederland, in early 2024. Although the court rejected the complaints by individuals, it did admit Greenpeace’s claim as an organisation.
