The Dutch government has done far too little to protect the inhabitants of Bonaire, an island in the Caribbean part of the Netherlands, from the consequences of climate change. The cabinet must therefore develop a concrete plan to protect Bonaire’s residents better.

Furthermore, the government must establish “clear and binding” targets within eighteen months to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the Netherlands. This is what the court in The Hague decided in the lawsuit filed by Greenpeace and eight Bonaire residents in early 2024.

Particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise

The island of Bonaire is already suffering the most from global warming, with flooding caused by tropical storms and extreme rainfall. The island is particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, extreme heat, and other climate-related impacts. And according to several researchers, this will only worsen in the coming years.

Up to 20% of Bonaire’s land could be affected by sea-level rise by 2100. Risks include permanent coastal flooding, loss of housing, roads, and critical infrastructure. Not to mention severe damage to mangroves and coral reefs.

Although the Netherlands has been preparing for climate change for years, the Dutch government has never made any effort to protect Bonaire better.

European Convention on Human Rights

The inhabitants of the Caribbean part of the Netherlands, who are Dutch citizens, have thus been treated unequally. In doing so, the Netherlands has violated the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to respect for private and family life and prohibits discrimination. The court has therefore ruled that an adaptation plan must be drawn up to protect Bonaire, to be implemented by 2030 at the latest.

In addition, the Dutch government must do more to limit emissions in the Netherlands as a whole. “The climate measures currently proposed are insufficient.”

Binding targets

The court now orders the government to formulate clear, binding targets within eighteen months to reduce emissions, including those from aviation and maritime transport.

All of this must be enshrined in national legislation, and binding interim targets must be set for the period until 2050, when net-zero emissions must be achieved.

“This is an incredible victory for the people in Bonaire,” said Eefje de Kroon, a climate justice expert at Greenpeace Nederlands, in The Guardian. “Not only has the court established that people from Bonaire are being discriminated against because of the climate crisis, but also the Dutch government needs to do much more to protect them.”