Victory for Caribbean Island in Unique Climate Lawsuit
The Netherlands has failed to protect the inhabitants of the former colony of Bonaire from climate change, according to a ruling by the District Court in The Hague.
‘This gives island states a boost,’ says researcher Björn Ola Linnér.
‘The judge heard us,’ Jackie Bernabela, who lives on Bonaire, told the AFP news agency.
A group of residents, together with Greenpeace Netherlands, brought the case to court. According to the court, the Dutch state discriminated against the islanders by not acting quickly or appropriately enough.
The government must now come up with a plan for how to protect the island. The ruling could set a precedent for similar cases where guilt and responsibility in climate issues are to be examined, believes Björn-Ola Linnér, professor of international climate policy at Linköping University.
‘It’s very exciting to see that taking the case to court is a climate policy tool that has really worked,’ he says.
The former colony of Bonaire, located in the Caribbean, has the status of a special municipality within the Netherlands. Bonaire belonged to the autonomous province of the Netherlands Antilles before its dissolution in 2010.
Bonaire, like other island nations, is threatened by rising sea levels as a result of climate change. Parts of the island are at risk of being swallowed by the sea before the next century. In addition, the coral reefs around the island are under threat, reefs that attract tourists who account for a significant part of the island’s income.
