Bonaire Wins, Climate Justice Turns Corner
"Today, we are making history. Finally, The Hague can no longer ignore us. The court is drawing a line in the sand. Our lives, our culture, and our country are being taken seriously. The State can no longer look the other way." - Onnie Emerenciana, plaintiff in the Bonaire Climate Case
On 28 January, residents of Bonaire won a historic victory, not just for themselves and their island, but for communities everywhere who are rising up for climate justice.
In a landmark ruling, the District Court of The Hague found that the Netherlands is violating Bonaire residents' human rights by failing to protect them from the climate crisis.
The judgment makes clear that the Dutch state cannot treat residents of Bonaire, a Caribbean island with 25,000 inhabitants, as second-class citizens and must effectively protect them from the impacts of climate change.
This case was led by eight courageous residents of Bonaire and supported by Greenpeace Netherlands.
This victory belongs first and foremost to the people of Bonaire, who took their lived experiences of climate impacts from their island home to a courtroom thousands of kilometres away and demanded justice. The stories of these courageous community members motivate movements, their cultural interventions inspire our imagination and protect more than their heritage, their victory becomes a stepping stone for others.
Bonaire is already on the frontline of the climate crisis. Extreme heat, disappearing corals and rising sea levels are affecting daily life on the island. Yet while the Dutch government has been proactive about protecting people living in the Netherlands in Europe, it has failed to offer the same level of protection to the people of Bonaire.
That stark inequality is at the heart of this case.
In January 2024, Bonaire residents and Greenpeace went to court to challenge this injustice. They argued that the state's climate policies fell short of its human rights obligations, and that people living on Bonaire were paying the price.
The court agreed.
In its ruling, the judges recognised what residents of Bonaire have long known: Climate change already poses a real and growing threat to their lives and livelihoods. The Court clearly said that "the State has a legal obligation to protect the right of Bonaire's inhabitants to life, health, well-being and the enjoyment of their own culture against the negative effects of climate change".
Around the world, communities are turning to the courts to demand climate justice, and they are winning.
From senior women to concerned youth challenging weak climate laws, to Indigenous communities defending their lands, culture and traditions, to island nations seeking accountability for climate damage, the message is growing louder: governments and corporations cannot ignore the climate crisis without legal consequences.
The Bonaire ruling builds on this momentum. It shows that courts are increasingly willing to listen to climate-vulnerable communities, to take science seriously, and to recognise that climate inaction is a violation of fundamental human rights.
Each case builds on the last, and strengthens the next. Each victory sends a signal that climate action is a human regard for people and the planet, and is a legal and moral obligation.
What makes this win especially powerful is the leadership shown by Bonaireans themselves,they spoke up about their homes, their health, and their children's futures.
Greenpeace Netherlands supported people from Bonaire by commissioning research that showed how climate risks in Bonaire will intensify under current policies, by amplifying residents' voices, and by standing with them every step of the way. The legal teams from Kennedy van der Laan and Prakken d'Oliveira, Greenpeace International and strategic allies provided vital expertise, helping turn lived experience into legal force.
This is what can happen when people power harnesses the law. Across the world, those who are most impacted are rising and synchronising their struggles: from the streets to schoolyards, from courtrooms to cafés, from extraction sites to exhibitions, from homes to halls of power. Their resistance crosses borders, disciplines and generations.
This ruling is a milestone, but it is not the end of the story.
The Dutch state must immediately comply fully with its obligations. That means stronger climate action, faster emissions cuts, and an adaptation plan that protects people in Bonaire from the worsening impacts of the climate crisis.
For supporters around the world, it shows that change is possible. It shows that when communities organise, when their stories and science are brought into the courtroom, and when people refuse to accept injustice, even powerful governments can be held to account and forced to change.
Today, we celebrate the people of Bonaire, their courage, their tenacity and their belief that justice is worth fighting for.
And we take this victory as a resounding endorsement of the path we are on. We'll keep pushing, keep rising with climate-vulnerable communities, and keep demanding a world where climate action is fast, fair and grounded in human rights.
When people fight for their future, it changes what's possible for everyone.
Eefje de Kroon is a campaigner at Greenpeace Netherlands, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Martin Zavan is a freelance communications strategist at Greenpeace International, based in Sydney, Australia
Maria Alejandra Serra is Legal Counsel Climate Specialist at Greenpeace International, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/81033/a-victory-for-bonaire-and-a-turning-point-for-climate-justice/
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