URGENDA FOUNDATION V THE STATE OF THE NETHERLANDS

The case of Urgenda Foundation v The State of the Netherlands resulted in a Supreme Court ruling on 20 December 2019, upholding a lower court's order for the Dutch government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% relative to 1990 levels by the end of 2020. The courts determined that the State has a positive obligation under Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights to take concrete actions against climate change to prevent risks to the right to life and family life. The ruling established that such mandates do not violate the separation of powers, as the government retains discretion over the methods used to achieve the target. This judgment has since influenced climate litigation in other jurisdictions, including Ireland and Australia.

• The Dutch courts, including the Supreme Court in its 20 December 2019 judgment, mandated that the State of the Netherlands reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% relative to 1990 levels by the end of 2020.
• The court ruled that the State has a positive legal obligation under Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights to implement concrete and reasonable climate change measures to protect the rights to life, family life, private life, and home.
• The court determined that ordering the government to meet a specific emission reduction target does not breach the principle of the separation of powers, because the government still chooses the specific means of implementation.
• The Urgenda ruling has had an international impact, serving as a reference for courts in Ireland regarding climate science and in Australia regarding the significance of greenhouse gas emissions from coal mines in development projects.

APA

Natural Justice (2020). URGENDA FOUNDATION V THE STATE OF THE NETHERLANDS. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Urgenda-Case-Summary_Natural-Justice-2020-1.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. URGENDA FOUNDATION V THE STATE OF THE NETHERLANDS. 2020. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Urgenda-Case-Summary_Natural-Justice-2020-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=URGENDA FOUNDATION V THE STATE OF THE NETHERLANDS |date=February 2020 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Urgenda-Case-Summary_Natural-Justice-2020-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2020urgenda, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{URGENDA FOUNDATION V THE STATE OF THE NETHERLANDS}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2020}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Environmental-Court-Case-Series_Urgenda-Case-Summary_Natural-Justice-2020-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }