Caribbean island wins climate case against Netherlands forcing Dutch action on rising seas

A court on Wednesday ordered the Dutch Government to draw up a plan to protect residents on the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire from the devastating effects of climate change – a sweeping victory for the islanders.The Hague District Court, in a stunning rebuke of Dutch authorities, also ruled that the government discriminated against the island’s 20,000 inhabitants by not taking “timely and appropriate measures” to protect them from climate change before it is too late.“The island already suffers from flooding due to tropical storms and extreme rainfall, and according to several researchers, this will worsen in the coming years. Even conservative forecasts predict that parts of the island will be underwater by 2050, so in 25 years,” Judge Jerzy Luiten told a packed courtroom.The case brought by eight Bonaire residents and backed by the environmental group Greenpeace, sought to compel the government to better shield its citizens from the effects of increasing temperatures and rising sea levels and could set a precedent for similar legal challenges elsewhere.Aerial view of floodwaters covering land on Bonaire, on January 24. Photo: AFPIn a statement issued before the ruling, Greenpeace Netherlands director Marieke Vellekoop said that “it would be a victory of historic significance, should the court ruling force the State to take concrete measures to protect people from extreme weather and other consequences of the climate crisis”.