Dutch emissions ruling to be challenged

Deputy Environment Minister Wilma Mansveld wrote in a letter to parliament on Tuesday that the government would challenge the court's ruling, which forces officials to increase existing targets to cut carbon emissions by a third.

"Given the consequences for our climate policy and we cannot rule out….consequences in other areas, it is preferable for the appeals court to examine this judgment," the letter said.

The June 24 ruling, ordered ministers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 versus 17 percent currently predicted by officials in the Hague.

The rare intervention was the culmination of a lawsuit by environment group Urgenda, on behalf of 900 Dutch nationals, calling for emissions to be cut by 40 percent over 1990 levels by 2020.

The NGO took action after the Netherlands reduced spending on alternative energy during the 2008/9 financial crisis.

The court's ruling was hailed as a "milestone" by climate experts, but Dutch leaders fear it could set a precedent for judicial interference in government decisions.

Under Dutch law, launching an appeal will not undo the government's obligation to comply. Ministers confirmed on Tuesday they would begin implementing the court's ruling.

Environmental group Greenpeace described the appeal, which will be lodged by September 24, as "backwards step."

Later this year, 195 nations are set to meet in Paris for a historic climate change conference, where they plan on committing to a legally binding pact to cut greenhouse gases from 2020.

The deal will seek to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 Degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

mm/kms (AFP, AP, Reuters)