Court Orders Dutch to Cut Emissions

A court in The Hague has overturned the Netherlands’ climate-change policy and ordered the government to cut carbon emissions by 25 percent within the next five years, in the world’s first climate-change liability lawsuit. The original policy called for cuts of 14-17 percent from 1990 levels in that same time period. More than 800 plaintiffs accused the government of negligence for “knowingly contributing” to the global failure to meet carbon-emissions goals. “The state should not hide behind the argument that the solution to the global climate problem does not depend solely on Dutch efforts,” the ruling said.