Seminar on the Bonaire climate case of Greenpeace v. The Netherlands

On the Friday the 6th of February 2026, the Utrecht Centre for Accountability and Liability Law and the Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law will host a seminar on the Bonaire climate case Greenpeace v. the Netherlands. In this case, the District Court of The Hague will deliver its judgment on the 28th of January 2026. 

The case concerns the question of whether the Netherlands is legally obliged to take more stringent climate mitigation and adaptation measures to protect the inhabitants of the Dutch island of Bonaire, which is situated in the Caribbean. 

Programme

According to some commentators, this may once again prove to be a landmark climate case, similar to Urgenda and the Shell-case. During the seminar, we will reflect on the judgment with contributions from, among others, Elbert de Jong, Edward Brans (who also acts as counsel for the State in this case), Stijn van Deursen, and Haomiao Du. The programme may be expanded with additional speakers. Specific topics will be announced one week in advance. Participation is possible both in person and online (in person at Janskerkhof 2-3 Utrecht). 

The court will issue the oral ruling on January 28, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. The ruling will be published at 3 p.m. on Rechtspraak.nl. An English translation of the ruling is made available via the same website, at the same time.