Measures taken in response to court ruling have yet to face much dissent, partly owing to coronavirus.

(The Guardian, 4 May 2020) Measures taken in response to court ruling have yet to face much dissent, partly owing to coronavirus.

Last month the Dutch government announced a bold set of climate policies designed to reduce annual carbon emissions by nearly 10 megatons, comparable to the yearly output of Latvia.

Several new coal power plants are to be closed or run at minimum capacity, a €3bn spending package will subsidise renewable energy projects and home refits, and there are a slew of smaller policy tweaks, for example on livestock numbers, reforestation and lowering the national speed limit.

The middle of a public health crisis may seem like a strange time to make new climate commitments, but the Dutch government had little choice. A court case brought by environmental groups in 2014 and upheld by the supreme court last year forced the government to act to reduce emissions to 25% below 1990 levels by the end of 2020 at the latest. It is climate action under extreme duress.

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The Guardian, 4 May 2020: Measures taken in response to court ruling have yet to face much dissent, partly owing to coronavirus.