"The Dutch government discriminated against people in one of its most vulnerable territories by not helping them adapt to climate change, a court has found. The judgment, announced on Wednesday in The Hague, chastises the Netherlands for treating people on the island of Bonaire, in the Caribbean, differently to inhabitants of the European part of the country and for not doing its fair share to cut national emissions."
"The court ruled that the government was breaching articles 8 and 14 of the European convention on human rights, which protect the right to respect for private and family life and prohibit discrimination. Bonaire, a Dutch special municipality since 2010 though the Netherlands has been present on the island for about 400 years is particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, extreme heat and other climate-related impacts, and its local authorities do not have enough people, resources or specialist knowledge to tackle them fully."
A court in The Hague found the Netherlands discriminated against residents of Bonaire by failing to provide adequate climate adaptation measures and by not doing its fair share to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions. The court held breaches of articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, noting clear, long-standing climate risks including sea-level rise and extreme heat. Bonaire’s status as a Dutch special municipality leaves local authorities without sufficient staff, resources or specialist expertise to address those risks. The court ordered the state to create a coherent adaptation plan for Bonaire and to adopt tougher greenhouse gas targets. Greenpeace Nederland’s organizational claim was admitted while individual complaints were rejected.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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