Dutch Officials Reveal Measures To Cut Emissions After Court Ruling

The Guardian - Jonathan Watts

Green activists claim victory as government will spend €3bn on new climate initiatives

Marjan Minnesma with climate activists who were campaigning outside the Dutch Supreme Court last year during the case. Photograph: Ana Fernandez/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock

The Dutch government has announced measures including huge cuts to coal use, garden greening and limits on livestock herds as part of its plan to lower emissions to comply with a supreme court ruling.

Climate litigation activists described the move as “an enormous win”.

The small non-profit Urgenda Foundation, which filed the initial legal challenge in 2013, said this and earlier compliance measures totalled about €3bn euros, which confirms the impact of the world’s most successful climate lawsuit to date.

Under the new package, coal-fired power stations will have to scale back or close completely, cattle and pig herds will be reduced, subsidies will be provided to home owners to use less concrete and more plants in their gardens, and industry will have to find alternatives for several polluting processes.

“That is an enormous win,” said Marjan Minnesma, the director of Urgenda, which has 15-staff and operates out of two former school classrooms. “For many people this will give hope that it is possible to use the law as a strategic instrument for change.”

After a seven-year legal battle, the supreme court in the Hague ordered the government in December to reduce emissions by 15 megatonnes in 2020.

The judges accepted Urgenda’s argument that climate change posed a dangerous threat to human rights and the Netherlands needed to accelerate its actions to meet its international commitment of a 25% cut compared with 1990.

To comply, the government has adopted 30 of the proposals in Urgenda’s “54 Climate Solutions Plan”, which was drawn up in collaboration with 800 civil society groups and other organisations.

The headline change is a 75% reduction in capacity at the country’s three coal-fired power stations, all of which have been opened in the past five years. The government is also reportedly in negotiations to close one of these plants.

In addition, it will provide about €400m for household energy saving measures such as double glazing, €360m to compensate farmers for livestock reductions, and €30m for LED lighting in greenhouses.

Along with earlier steps – including lower speed limits to control emissions of nitrogen dioxide, €2bn for rooftop solar and other forms of renewable energy, solar panels on all school rooftops, more sustainable forestry and changes in the use of concrete, the measures are expected to save 8 megatonnes of emissions this year and provide extra benefits in terms of air quality and wildlife habitat.

Minnesma said this should be seen as a “promising start” because the government is still about 4 megatonnes short of its obligations. She said the coronavirus lockdown should not be used as an excuse to backpedal.

The package was presented to parliament on Friday afternoon. The government said the measures would provide an economic stimulus and also help to reduce nitrogen pollution, which has been the subject of other legal actions.

MPs said the package should inspire activists across the world to pursue litigation against governments that drag their feet.

“Without a doubt this should encourage climate lawsuits in other countries. It’s a shining example,” said Green party politician Tom van der Lee. “This package wouldn’t be there without an order from the highest court. Without that verdict, the government would have chosen a slower trajectory.”

The environmental law charity ClientEarth said the result was unprecedented in Europe and testament to the impact of climate litigation, which is spreading around the world. “The Urgenda case should be considered a groundbreaking success, not just legally, but for driving real world action on climate change,” Sophie Marjanac, a ClientEarth lawyer.

The Dutch legal system’s ease of access and political independence of judges helped to make the case possible. If Urgenda had lost, they would only have had to pay €18,000 rather than the government’s extensive costs.

The Urgenda case has been closely watched around the world. While climate activists have welcomed the outcome, they urge the Netherlands to raise ambition beyond 2020 compliance with the orders of the supreme court.

“The Netherlands now needs to lay out a strategy to reach net zero by around the middle of this century,” said Bob Ward, policy and communications director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

Links

• Landmark Ruling That Holland Must Cut Emissions To Protect Citizens From Climate Change Upheld By Supreme Court
• 'New Weapon': Courts Offer Hope For Driving Serious Climate Action
• Doctrine of Public Trust
• Dutch Court Upholds Urgenda, Says Government Must Reduce Emissions
• Dutch Government Appeals Against Court Ruling Over Emissions Cuts
• Are Countries Legally Required To Protect Citizens From Climate Change?
• See You In Court, Citizens Tell Governments On Climate Change
• The Trial Of The Century
• A Dramatic New Plan To Fight Climate Change: Sue The Federal Government
• More People Heading To Court To Spur Action On Climate Change, Study Finds
• Climate Change Before The Court