How two Goldman prize winners won landmark rulings in Dutch courts

Marjan Minnesma's legal fight forced the Dutch government to cut emissions, while Chima Williams took on Royal Dutch Shell

The road to a landmark legal victory compelling the Dutch government to take climate action began a decade ago when the 2022 Goldman prize winner Marjan Minnesma received an official letter saying the government did not want to be a frontrunner in tackling the climate crisis.

At the time the Netherlands was one of the world's worst greenhouse emitters and had a dismal record on renewables that was highly dependent on fossil fuels - a stark contrast with its environmentally friendly image of windmills and bicycles.