Supreme Court upholds Urgenda climate order against the Dutch state
On 20 December 2019 the Hoge Raad upheld an order that the state cut emissions faster. In the causal graph this event weakens Decarbonization and climate-mitigation policy, a driver that weakens Global CO2 emissions per capita — a worsening welfare path.
Read the full account
On 20 December 2019 the Hoge Raad upheld an order that the state cut emissions faster. Rutte’s cabinets were the defendant. The judgment is a constitutional climate check, not a personal fine.
Who was responsible
Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.
Mark Rutte
PersonDirect responsibility
responsibility level 0.45 · verified
The state lost. His cabinets then had to tighten. Courts still supervise.
What changed
Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.
- FactSupreme Court upholds Urgenda climate order against the Dutch state
- weakensDriverDecarbonization and climate-mitigation policy
- weakensIndicators (3)Global CO2 emissions per capita
impact weight 0.4 · Effect from 20 December 2019 · verified
A court finding that cuts were too slow records a gap in near-term decarbonization coverage.
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.24 (weight 0.4 × strength 0.6)
Observed
4.73 tonnes CO2 per person per year · 2.43 above the normal line (2024)
Worse than normalTwo readings: 4.71 tonnes CO2 per person per year (2023) and 4.73 tonnes CO2 per person per year (2024).
20232024 Above normal = worse
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.2 (weight 0.4 × strength 0.5)
Observed
32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) · 27.9 above the normal line (2023)
Worse than normal3 readings, 2021–2023: fell from 33.2 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) to 32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted).
Above normal = worse
- Worse
Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.4 × strength 0.4)
Observed
30% of electricity generation · 11 above the normal line (2023)
Better than normal6 readings, 2000–2023: rose from 18.9% of electricity generation to 30% of electricity generation.
Above normal = better
Evidence
The sources behind this fact and its verification state.
- 1.Reuters — Dutch court upholds climate rulingReuters · High credibility · verified
- 2.Hoge Raad — UrgendaHoge Raad · High credibility · verified
Causal path
How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.
- ActorMark Rutte
- contributed toFactSupreme Court upholds Urgenda climate order against the Dutch state
- weakensDriverDecarbonization and climate-mitigation policy
- weakensIndicatorGlobal CO2 emissions per capita
Cite this page
Factrail. (2026). Supreme Court upholds Urgenda climate order against the Dutch state. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/nl-urgenda-2019
https://factrail.ai/facts/nl-urgenda-2019
Accessed 16 October 2026.
By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed
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