Landmark Dutch Ruling: Cut Emissions to Protect Citizens
THE
HAGUE, Netherlands — In a sweeping victory for environmental activists
that could have global repercussions, a Dutch court ordered its
government on Wednesday to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions by
at least 25 percent by 2020 to help fight global warming.
HAGUE, Netherlands — In a sweeping victory for environmental activists
that could have global repercussions, a Dutch court ordered its
government on Wednesday to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions by
at least 25 percent by 2020 to help fight global warming.
The
ruling by The Hague District Court could lay the foundations for
similar cases around the world, said the director of Urgenda, the
organization that took the government to court on behalf of 900 Dutch
citizens.
ruling by The Hague District Court could lay the foundations for
similar cases around the world, said the director of Urgenda, the
organization that took the government to court on behalf of 900 Dutch
citizens.
Climate
activists in the packed courtroom clapped and cheered as Presiding
Judge Hans Hofhuis read the ruling, which Greenpeace called "a
game-changer in the fight against climate change."
activists in the packed courtroom clapped and cheered as Presiding
Judge Hans Hofhuis read the ruling, which Greenpeace called "a
game-changer in the fight against climate change."
The
ruling came in the same month that Pope Francis released a massive
encyclical on the environment urging nations to quickly overhaul their
economies to cut emissions and save the Earth. Neighboring France will
also host a key U.N. conference later this year in Paris where it's
hoped that a worldwide accord to fight global warming will be signed.
ruling came in the same month that Pope Francis released a massive
encyclical on the environment urging nations to quickly overhaul their
economies to cut emissions and save the Earth. Neighboring France will
also host a key U.N. conference later this year in Paris where it's
hoped that a worldwide accord to fight global warming will be signed.
