Dutch gas emissions ruling a ‘game changer’

In a sweeping victory for Dutch environmental activists that could have global repercussions, a court ordered the government to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 2020.

The ruling by The Hague District Court could lay the foundations for similar cases around the world, said the director of the organisation that took the government to court on behalf of 900 Dutch citizens.

Climate activists in the packed courtroom clapped and cheered as presiding Judge Hans Hofhuis read the ruling, which Greenpeace called “a game changer in the fight against climate change”.