THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A farmer, a prison guard, and a teacher were among residents of the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire to speak in a Hague courtroom Tuesday and accuse the Netherlands of not doing enough to protect them from the effects of climate change.
The case, backed by Greenpeace, follows a series of international landmark rulings that found governments have broad obligations to protect their citizens from increasing temperatures and rising sea levels.
Farmer Onnie Emerenciana flew 4,000 miles to tell the judges how warmer temperatures and drought have impacted his livelihood and reduced crop yields. The 62-year-old also said that for those who can't afford air-conditioning, summers have turned their places into “prisons of concrete,” and demanded the Dutch government do mo