In a significant win for the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a court Wednesday ordered the Dutch government to do more to protect the low-lying island from climate change.
The government must develop a detailed plan by 2030 to make Bonaire more resilient to the effects of a warming planet, the Hague District Court ruled in a decision that could reverberate across the globe as nations seek to adapt to rising sea levels.
The court also required the government to improve its climate plan for the entire Dutch economy, mandating that it incorporate binding interim targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within 18 months.
The government’s current climate policy, the court said, “does not comply, in a binding and transparent manner” with measures that must be taken worldwide to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
