Dutch government ordered to cut carbon emissions in landmark ruling

15/09/2015

     A court in The Hague has ordered the Dutch government to cut its emissions by at least 25% within 5 years, in a landmark ruling expected to cause ripples around the world.      To cheers and hoots from climate campaigners in court, three judges ruled that government plans to cut emissions by just 14 - 17% compared to 1990 levels by 2020 were unlawful, given the scale of the threat posed by climate change.      Dennis van Berkel, legal counsel for Urgenda, the group that brought the suit said: “Before this judgement, the only legal obligations on states were those they agreed among themselves in international treaties. This is the first a time a court has determined that states have an independent legal obligation towards their citizens. That must inform the reduction commitments in Paris because if it doesn’t, they can expect pressure from courts in their own jurisdictions.”    Urgenda supporters celebrate at The Hague after court ruling requiring Dutch government to slash emissions        In what was the first climate liability suit brought under human rights and tort law, Judge Hans Hofhuis told the court that the threat posed by global warming was severe and acknowledged by the Dutch government in international pacts.      After a legal campaign that took 2 and a half years to get to its first hearing in April, normally dispassionate lawyers were visibly moved by the judge’s words. “As the verdict was being read out, I actually had tears in my eyes,” Roger Cox, Urgenda’s lead advocate, told the Guardian. “It was an emotional moment.”   Đỗ Hoàng