Court's decision sparks ire among farmers and construction workers: 'We can't ask the impossible'

Thanks to a recent court ruling, folks in the Netherlands will likely be breathing in much cleaner air in the very near future. However, the decision has sparked ire among the farming community as well as construction workers.

On January 22, a court in The Hague ruled that the Netherlands was falling behind in its efforts to reduce high levels of nitrogen oxide emissions that have been deemed as "illegal," according to Reuters.

In a case brought by Greenpeace, the organization argued that the pollution has been caused by substantial farming and its reliance on harmful fertilizers. Greenpeace also pointed to increased traffic and construction in the Netherlands.

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In its ruling, the court ordered the Dutch government to meet its target of reducing the pollution to the legal levels in half of all affected nature reserves by 2030. If the country fails to meet the newly ordered requirement, it will be fined €10 million, or $10.4 million.

According to the court, only 28% of the nature reserves in the Netherlands have reached the legal levels of recorded pollution. The benefits of greatly diminished nitrogen oxide emissions could prove to be invaluable for vulnerable ecosystems. The EPA notes that one of the biggest dangers of nitrogen oxide emissions is the formation of acid rain.

In a statement posted to X, Agriculture Minister Femke Wiersma appeared to be frustrated with the court ruling and will gauge whether or not the country will appeal the decision.

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"We take the nitrogen problem very seriously," wrote Wiersma. "But we can't ask the impossible of people and companies."

In addition to Wiersma's pushback on the court's ruling, the Farmer-Citizen Movement, known primarily as the BBB, is fighting to "loosen nitrogen rules and targets" that it calls too strict, according to Reuters. The right-wing political party has risen in popularity since being founded in 2019.

With many plans to reduce pollution proposing to cut down the number of farms in the Netherlands, the BBB has strongly opposed any further restrictions. As of 2024, about 2% of the country's population is employed in the agriculture sector.