Dutch citizens just sued their government over inaction on climate change ... and they won.
Cheers and cries of pure joy erupted as the judge handed down the ruling in the world's first ever climate liability suit.
886 Dutch citizens, including teachers, entrepreneurs, grandparents and students united to sue their government for its inaction on climate change. In a decision likely to reverberate across the world, the court ordered the state to reduce emissions by 25% within 5 years to protect its citizens from climate change.
A HUGE congratulations to all involved, including Urgenda, the group that brought the suit on behalf of the citizens.
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Published on
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
byCommon Dreams
In Historic Ruling, Dutch Court Says: Climate Action is a Human Right
Hague District Court says Dutch government has a legal duty to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2020
by Lauren McCauley, staff writer
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Urgenda Foundation supporters celebrate at the Hague District Court after a historic ruling ordered the Dutch government to slash emissions. (Photo: Chantal Bekker/Urgenda)
The decision came in response to a lawsuit, launched in November 2013 by the Amsterdam-based environmental nonprofit Urgenda Foundation along with 600 Dutch citizens, which argued that the government was violating international human rights law by failing to take sufficient measures to combat rising greenhouse gas emissions.
"The state must do more to avert the imminent danger caused by climate change, also in view of its duty of care to protect and improve the living environment," read a statement from the Hague District Court.
Full article: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/06/24/historic-ruling-dutch-court-says-climate-action-human-right
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And it seems to be spreading:
Asked what the implications for other countries could be, Roger says that his team is already in touch with colleagues in Australia, Brazil, Austria, England, Ireland, and Norway. All of them are closely watching the Dutch court.
Not that everything depends on the outcome on June 24. Appeals are likely, and a final ruling at the highest Dutch appeals court could take another five years. But Nic Balthazar says the Belgian case has already had a direct impact on the government: “We’re hearing from people inside the administration that they’re freaking out. Suddenly, they’ve realized that for every single decision they take today, a judge is going to ask questions in the near future. So when the Minister tells me on TV that they are doing enough already, I can reply: we’ll see what the judge says. So much for their smokescreens.”
During our conversation, Nic quoted Naomi Klein on the reality that we can no longer afford to be a pessimist. “The challenge is to get away from the guilty feelings that so often arise when you talk about climate change—and move the conversation to acting together and having fun while doing it. Climate activism should involve dancing and singing and a lot of fun, and if we’re going to court, it’s also gonna be with some ABBA music in the background.”
Nic’s next big project—aside from the climate case—is a follow-up of the hugely successful Sing for the Climate campaign, but this time on a global scale. In Belgium, no less than 380,000 people participated in a kind of huge, decentralized karaoke for climate action; the Prime Minister was forced to concede to Nic, in front of TV cameras, that his government would increase their level of ambition. That pledge may now come with judicial oversight, and Nic hopes to take the strategy global. “If the Ice Bucket challenge can go viral, what should stop us from having 200 million people singing for the climate and confront policymakers with that before they go to Paris? Let them make bold promises, and if they don’t do what the science tells them to do, sue them.”
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/06/22/sue-climate-will-dutch-court-kickstart-wave-action
