The Wire

A district court in The Netherlands has made international legal history by ordering the Dutch government to cut carbon emissions by 25 per cent by 2020. The verdict, hailed by environmentalists as a landmark ruling, followed a lawsuit filed by 900 Dutch citizens against their government, which they said was not doing enough to tackle rising greenhouse gases. In its ruling, the Dutch court agreed that it was the government’s duty of care to protect its citizens from the effects of climate change, and that such protections were a human right. What are the wider implications of this ruling and could Australian governments face similar legal challenges?