The Urgenda Decision:Netherlands Liable for Role in Causing Dangerous Global Climate Change

On June 24th 2015, the civil section of The Hague District Court ruled—in its judgment of 60 pages translated into English—that the Netherlands has reached the standard of due care by implementing a policy that would lead to a reduction of CO2 emissions by 2020 of less than 25% compared with 1990 emissions. Any such policy of the Netherlands was seen as insufficient to avoid dangerous climate change and was therefore unlawful towards the Urgenda Foundation, a citizen’s platform that instituted the proceedings, partly on behalf of 886 Dutch individuals. The Court ordered the State to cut CO2 emissions by 25% by 2020 against a baseline of 1990 emissions. This case note discusses the reasoning of the court