A Dutch court on Wednesday ruled that the Netherlands was not doing enough to protect residents of the island of Bonaire from climate change and its consequences.

The court in The Hague said the Dutch government was treating Bonaire's residents differently from those living in the European part of the Netherlands without a valid justification.

What did the Dutch court say about Bonaire?

In its ruling, the court said the impacts of climate change pose specific risks to Bonaire, a low-lying Caribbean island that is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, extreme weather, and environmental degradation.

It said the Dutch government was failing in its duty to safeguard the island's population and ruled that the Dutch state discriminated against the island's 20,000 inhabitants by not taking "timely and appropriate measures."

"The island already suffers from flooding due to tropical storms and extreme rainfall, and according to several researchers, this will worsen in the coming years. Even conservative forecasts predict that parts of the island will be underwater by 2050, so in 25 years," Judge Jerzy Luiten told a packed courtroom.

The judges said the unequal level of protection amounted to unjustified discrimination within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The government's legal team argued that the Netherlands was already taking steps to combat climate change, citing greenhouse gas reductions and mitigation measures. It also argued that national administrations, not judges, should handle such matters.

However, the court ruled that government efforts were insufficient, with no legally binding basis to a target to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and a failure to include emissions from air and sea transport.

Who brought the case against the Netherlands?

Eight residents of Bonaire brought the case, backed by Greenpeace, in a challenge that could set a precedent for similar lawsuits elsewhere.

Last year, the residents told The Hague district court ‍that climate change had made life on the island unbearably hot and ​dry. They said this had affected crops and the islanders' health.

In a statement that was issued before the ruling, Greenpeace Netherlands Director Marieke Vellekoop said, "It would be a victory of historic significance if the court forces the state to take concrete measures to protect people from extreme weather and other consequences of the climate crisis."

Bonaire, along with St. Eustatius and Saba, became special Dutch municipalities in 2010. The island's roughly 20,000 residents are Dutch citizens due to their colonial history.

Edited by: Sean Sinico