There’s nothing like seeing a popular movement triumph over organized bureaucracy in a grassroots kind of way. Apparently, a group of Dutch people sued their government and won, accusing it for not having done enough to curb carbon emissions.
Now, they’ve set a rather draconian target for their now shaken government, which will be forced by law to do more. The goal is to reduce emissions of carbon into the atmosphere by 25 percent within the next five years.
The government, prior to the trial, had announced they were aiming for a 14-17 percent drop compared to 1990 levels.
The Guardian quotes an excerpt of the judges’ ruling saying “the state should not hide behind the argument that the solution to the global climate problem does not depend solely on Dutch efforts. Any reduction of emissions contributes to the prevention of dangerous climate change and as a developed country the Netherlands should take the lead in this.”
Bravo to the Dutch people for setting a positive example of how more can always be achieved! Hopefully, thye’ll spark similar movements around the world, although that seems unlikely for the most part and in most other countries.