Commenting on the Dutch appeals court’s decision to uphold a landmark ruling ordering the Netherlands to increase emissions cuts by at least 25 percent by 2020, the European Green Party co-chairs Monica Frassoni and Reinhard Bütikofer said:
“This is a major achievement for the Netherlands, for Europe and the world towards beating destructive climate change and wresting back control over our collective destiny. Climate campaigners the world over can now feel emboldened to force the hand of their governments by taking action in court aimed at warding off irreversible climate change as made abundantly clear in the recent IPCC report.”
“Even though Rutte’s administration has pledged to reduce emissions by 49% by 2030, the Netherlands is still a long way from meeting its targets. This verdict shows that climate action is not only desirable, but necessary. We would like to congratulate the Urgenda campaign, which initiated these court proceedings, for renewing our belief in our capacity to take on governments who are dragging their feet on climate and win. We hope this is just the beginning of other important victories to come,” they added.
