European Court Of Human Right’s Ruling Has Ordered Dutch And German Governments To Strengthen Climate Plans.

Hague; February 2026: In one of the first national cases to test climate obligations under two landmark rulings: the European Court of Human Right’s ruling in 2024 in a case brought by Swiss citizens against their government, that climate change mitigation is an obligation under human rights law; and the non-binding decision of the International Court of Justice last year that nations should comply with international commitments to limit pollution or risk having to pay compensation to countries hardest hit by climate change; the Dutch and German governments have been ordered to beef up climate change plans in potentially landmark court rulings.

The Dutch government has been told to bolster its adaptation and emission reduction plans, after a court ruled it had violated the European Convention on Human Rights and discriminated against residents of the Dutch-Caribbean island of Bonaire by failing to protect them from climate change. The case in the Netherlands was bought by environmental group Greenpeace in early 2024 on behalf of Bonaire residents, who said the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures and flooding had affected crops and the health of islanders

Following hearings last October, The Hague District Court ruled on 28th January 2026, that the Netherlands’ national climate plans do not sufficiently address problems in the Dutch-Caribbean and that, as such, it had breached Article 8 of the Convention, which protects private and family life. Bonaire, which has a population of 20,000, is a former Dutch colony and was designated a special Dutch municipality in 2010. The court also found that the government did not treat Bonaire residents equally to Dutch citizens in Europe and had therefore contravened two anti-discrimination provisions.

“There is no good reason why, for the inhabitants of Bonaire, who will be hit by climate change earlier and more severely, there were late and less systematic measures than for inhabitants of the European part of the Netherlands”, Presiding Judge Jerzy Luiten said.

Lawyers for the government had argued that the Netherlands is making strides in combatting climate change, but the court ruled that its efforts weren’t enough. It found that its target to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels isn’t binding and is “highly unlikely” to be met.

The court has given the government a time frame of 18 months to develop and begin implementing a legally binding plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reach net zero by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement, and to create robust adaptation plans for Bonaire.

Meanwhile in Germany, the federal government has lost its appeal against a 2024 ruling that its Climate Action Programme does not align with legal requirements for achieving the country’s emissions reduction targets.

The court found existing measures are insufficient to ensure a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 65% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The judges pointed to a gap of at least 200 million tons of carbon dioxide and said the programme, which was introduced in 2023 has failed to show how annual emissions limits would be met in individual sectors.

The decision by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig is final and enforceable, meaning the government is legally required to revise its climate plans.

According to official sources, Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary for the environment, said the ruling makes clear that “there can be no compromises when it comes to climate protection”. He has  acknowledged that the government hadn’t yet “implemented all the necessary measures to meet the legal targets”, and said it would replace the 2023 Climate Action Programme with a new one by the end of March this year.

In other climate news, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has issued the first climate-related disclosures standard for the public sector. The IPSASB has said in a news release that governments and other public sector entities face risks related to climate change and extreme weather events but often lack clear guidance on how to disclose them to inform accountability and decision-making.

The standard is designed to enable governments to report climate risks and opportunities “clearly and consistently”. Thomas Müller-Marqués Berger, the IPSASB chair, said climate-related information is “essential for stronger public financial management as it provides insights into the climate-related risks and opportunities to governments’ operations. By doing so, the new disclosures enable efficient access to capital markets to mobilise the additional financing needed for climate resilience”.

Arturo Herrera, global director for governance at the World Bank, which helped to develop the standard, added: “In the past, the focus of sustainability reporting has been on the private sector. With the public sector responsible for a significant share of global emissions, these new standards represent an important opportunity to make more complete climate-related information available to the public”.

Team Maverick.