AMSTERDAM, April 10 (Reuters) – The Dutch state is appealing a court ruling that it must set binding emissions targets to reach net zero by 2050 to protect the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a spokesperson for Climate Minister Stientje van Veldhoven said on Friday.
Bonaire, a special municipality of the Netherlands located in the southern Caribbean and until 1954 a Dutch colony, is well-known as an eco-tourism destination.
In its ruling, the court had given the Netherlands 18 months to set up a legally binding plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 as agreed in international treaties.
The case had been brought by Greenpeace on behalf of Bonaire residents and was among the first to test national climate obligations set out in a landmark 2024 European climate ruling and last year’s influential World Court advisory opinion.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van CampenhoutEditing by Christina Fincher)
