Interesting development. Given that much of Holland is below sea level, sea level rise is bound to be a worry.
Urgenda foundation to sue Dutch State for failing climate change policy
30 September 2013
Quote:Dutch foundation
Urgenda is planning to sue the Dutch state for its failing climate change policy. The
court summons (Dutch only) will be presented to the state on 23 October. The plaintiffs claim there rests an obligation upon the Netherlands to reduce its CO2-emissions with 25-40 percent by 2020 compared to emission levels in 1990, in order to prevent damage to the global environment and violations of international human rights law. Various reports suggest that a 25-40 percent reduction is required of all industrialised states in order to have a real chance at limiting the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius.
Urgenda will ask of the Dutch courts to declare that the Netherlands is acting wrongfully by failing to take the necessary measures to achieve a reduction percentage of 25-40 percent, and to order the Netherlands to (i) take the necessary measures to achieve this reduction percentage and (ii) inform Dutch citizens about the risks of climate change.
A more comprehensive report from earlier in the year:
Will judges force the Netherlands to meet E.U. climate goals?
Erica Rex, E&E correspondent
ClimateWire: Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Quote:Nine U.S. states have atmospheric trust litigation pending, and there are countless other environmental and regulatory cases before federal courts, but the Urgenda case is the first of its kind in Europe.
Marjan Minnesma, Urgenda's executive director, with the assistance of attorney Roger H.J. Cox, the author of a recent book asserting "only the law can save us now," are hoping to force administrative action in the Netherlands through its judicial system.
Quote:In legal terms, Cox believes, the evidence presented by the IPCC is incontrovertible. Two thousand five hundred scientists in 150 countries contributed scientific evidence. He thinks no court could deviate from the IPCC findings because it would be impossible to present any expertise that would be as conclusive.
Quote:In the U.S. and the English common law systems, it is known as the "prudent man" standard. What is the obligation of a person, business or government to protect others from harm? Judges have often defined it as what a reasonable and prudent man would have done. Cox wants this applied to climate change. By not acting on the facts presented by the IPCC, Cox said, governments endanger their citizens and violate human rights.