Greenpeace Wins Dutch Court Fight Over Nitrogen Pollution
- Court orders state to boost efforts to curb environmental harm
- Issue is a long-running political headache for the government
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The Dutch government must make further cuts to nitrogen pollution or risk a €10 million ($10.5 million) fine after losing a court fight with Greenpeace that’s reignited a decade-long political debate impacting agriculture, transportation, and other key industries.
The state “acts unlawfully” by failing to stop environmental harm in protected areas “due to nitrogen,” judges said in a ruling in The Hague on Wednesday. “Policy is grossly inadequate to reach the current target,” they said. The judgment challenges the government to reach its goal of halving nitrogen-polluted regions by 2030.