Bonaire is one of the most popular windsurfing spots in the world: constant trade winds, turquoise flat water and warm Caribbean temperatures. An almost endless list of world champions and top windsurfers come from the island, which is politically part of the Netherlands, and several centres such as Frans Paradise, Jibe City and the Dunkerbeck Pro Centre offer a perfect infrastructure. However, in contrast to the neighbouring islands of Aruba and Curaçao, Bonaire is significantly lower and flatter. This topography makes the island particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels. Unlike the Netherlands itself, Bonaire does not have dykes that are already being adapted to the expected changes due to climate change.
A court in The Hague has now ruled in favour of a lawsuit brought by residents of Bonaire and Greenpeace against the Dutch government. The judges found that the government had violated the rights of the islanders by failing to set binding climate protection targets. Although they were affected earlier and more severely by the consequences of climate change, the government had only taken measures for them later and less systematically - a violation of the ban on discrimination, according to the judges. The measures taken so far to mitigate the effects of climate change are too little and come too late. The government must now present a corresponding concept within 18 months - not just for Bonaire, but for the whole of the Netherlands. An adaptation plan must also be drawn up for the island by 2030.
According to current forecasts, Bonaire could lose around a fifth of its surface area to the sea by the end of the century. This development not only threatens the infrastructure, but also the livelihoods of the inhabitants. Bonaire is part of the archipelago of the former Netherlands Antilles in the south-east of the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. Together with Aruba and Curaçao, it forms the so-called ABC islands. Since 2010, these islands have had the status of a special municipality with extensive autonomy within the Netherlands.
