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Dutchman Caribbean The island of Bonaire has initiated legal action NetherlandsAccusing the nation of failing to adequately protect them from the growing impacts of climate change.
A farmer, a prison guard, and a teacher were among those who testified in a Hague courtroom on Tuesday, in a case supported by the environmental group green Peace,
This legal challenge follows a series of international landmark rulings that have established broad obligations of governments to protect citizens from rising temperatures and rising sea levels.
Farmer Oni Amerensiana traveled 4,000 miles to document how hot conditions and drought have devastated his crops and livelihood.
The 62-year-old said that for those unable to afford air conditioning, the summer heat has turned their homes into “concrete prisons”, urging the Dutch government to provide more aid to the self-ruled island, a former Dutch colony.
Bonaire, along with Saint Eustatius and Saba, became a special Dutch municipality in 2010, with 20,000 inhabitants holding Dutch citizenship.
Michael Bacon, a lawyer representing the plaintiff, told the court: ” Netherlands Presents itself internationally as a champion of ambitious climate policy. The problem is that the state is not putting its words into action. ,
The plaintiffs are demanding concrete action from the Dutch state to address the climate crisis affecting their island.
lawyers The government says the country is making progress in combating climate change, citing greenhouse gas reductions and mitigation efforts. Ultimately, the state argues, addressing the problem is a matter for the government, not the courts.
The problem is “complex”, lawyer Edward Brans told the judges, and can only be solved by “political decisions”.
The case is being heard in the district court the hagueWhere the landmark Urgenda proceedings began more than a decade ago, and in 2019, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled in favor of climate activists and ordered the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The Urgenda decision featured prominently in recent climate change decisions. European Court of Human Rights and this united nations‘Supreme Court, International Court of Justice,
Both courts found that failing to combat climate change violated international law.
In the decade to 2023, sea levels rise by a global average of about 4.3 centimeters (1.7 in), with parts Calm Still rising high.
The world has also warmed by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) due to the burning of fossil fuels.
The hearing will continue on Wednesday.