Court rules in landmark climate change case
The highest court in the Netherlands ruled Friday that the nation's government must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the end of next year. The landmark case marks the first time a country has been held responsible by its courts to take action against from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which aimed to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Emissions would have to start declining rapidly to meet that goal, which appears unlikely given the failure of talks at the recent U.N. global climate summit in Madrid.
Time is running out for governments to address the crisis. Greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2018, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Carbon dioxide emissions are on track to climb until 2040, even if every country that's committed to cutting pollution meets its promises.
According to a recent report by the Netherlands' Environmental Assessment Agency, the country is unlikely to meet the 25% reduction target. It estimates Dutch greenhouse gas emissions next year may be about 23% lower than 1990 levels.
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