THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A court on Wednesday ordered the Dutch government to draw up a plan to protect residents on the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire from the effects of climate change — a sweeping victory for the islanders.
The Hague District Court, in a stunning rebuke of Dutch authorities, also ruled that the government discriminated against the island’s 20,000 inhabitants by not taking “timely and appropriate measures” to protect them from climate change before it's too late.
“The island already suffers from flooding due to tropical storms and extreme rainfall, and according to several researchers, this will worsen in the coming years. Even conservative forecasts predict that parts of the island will be underwater by 2050, so in 25 years,” Judge Jerzy Luiten told a packed courtroom.
The court also ordered the Dutch government to set binding targets within 18 months, laid down in law, to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Climate agreement. That pact, signed just over a decade ago, commits countries to keeping the rise in global temperatures by the year 2100 compared with preindustrial times “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and says they will “endeavor to limit” them even more, to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The case brought by eight Bonaire residents and backed by environmental group Greenpeace, sought to compel the government to better shield its citizens from the effects of increasing temperatures and rising sea levels and could set a precedent for similar legal challenges elsewhere.
“The judges heard us,” said one of the residents, Jackie Bernabela.
“We are no longer second-class citizens. Equality. I am very happy,” she said in the courtroom as she wiped away tears.
The government can appeal the 90-page written decision. Sophie Hermans, minister for climate policy and green growth, said: “Today, the court delivered a ruling of significance for the residents of Bonaire and the European Netherlands.” She said she would study it with other government departments before responding.
Greenpeace campaigner Eefje de Kroon welcomed the ruling and said that the organization would carefully monitor how the government implements the court's orders. She called it an “amazing victory” not only for the people of Bonaire, “but for all of us, because the Dutch government needs to do more to stop the climate crisis and actually protect people who are already experiencing the effects.”
The case was heard in The Hague because Bonaire, along with two other islands, St. Eustatius and Saba, became special Dutch municipalities in 2010. The island’s 20,000 residents are Dutch citizens based on their colonial history.
Lawyers for the government argued that the Netherlands already is making strides to combat climate change, citing greenhouse gas reductions and mitigation efforts. Government lawyer Edward Brans said the issue should be handled by national administrations and not judges.
But the court ruled that government efforts weren't enough, saying a target to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels wasn't binding and didn't fully include emissions from air and sea transport. The court also said that the Netherlands was “highly unlikely” to meet its 2030 target.
The ruling came as weeks of talks to form a new Dutch government following a national election in late October look like producing a new minority coalition headed up by centrist D66 leader Rob Jetten.
He earned the nickname “climate pusher” when he was a minister responsible for shepherding through a raft of legislation intended to reduce the Netherlands' reliance on fossil fuels and significantly cut its carbon emissions.
Now, the new government that Jetten is expected to lead will have to tighten the measures in line with the court's ruling.
It's not the first time that The Hague District Court has issued a groundbreaking climate ruling. The same court heard the first stage of the landmark Urgenda case more than a decade ago. That case wrapped up in 2019 when the Dutch Supreme Court ruled in favor of climate activists and ordered the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions, a legal battle that paved the way for similar challenges around the world.
The Urgenda decision featured prominently in recent climate change decisions from the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice. Both courts found that failing to combat climate change violated international law.
In the decade up to 2023, sea levels rose by a global average of around 4.3 centimeters (1.7 inches), with parts of the Pacific rising higher still. The world has also warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times because of the burning of fossil fuels.
FILE - This May 7, 2018 file photo shows the Caribbean Netherlands island of Bonaire, (AP Photo/Stephan Kogelman, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is drifting around its all-time high on Wednesday, while the U.S. dollar’s value stabilizes against other currencies after falling to its lowest level in nearly four years.
The S&P 500 edged up by 0.1%, coming off its latest record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 63 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher.
Some Big Tech companies helped support the market following an encouraging report from ASML. The Dutch company, whose machinery helps make chips, gave a forecast for 2026 revenue that topped analysts’ expectations.
ASML's customers have been notably more encouraged about the medium term, CEO Christophe Fouquet said, mostly because of expectations for “the sustainability” of demand related to the artificial-intelligence boom. That helped allay some concerns that the AI frenzy has gone overboard and created a potential bubble that may burst.
Nvidia, the stock that’s become the poster child of the AI boom, climbed 1.7% and was the strongest single force lifting the S&P 500. ASML’s stock that trades in the United States swung from an early gain to a drop of 1%.
Stocks elsewhere in the market were mixed following the latest flurry of profit reports.
Seagate Technology jumped 16.8% for one of the market's biggest gains after the seller of hard drives and other data-storage products reported bigger profit and revenue than analysts expected. CEO Dave Mosley cited AI applications for its strong performance, among other things.
Starbucks climbed 5.3% after its revenue for the latest quarter topped analysts’ expectations, thanks in part to a viral bear cup. That was even though its profit for the end of 2025 fell short of analysts’ targets.
Elevance Health rose 4.9% after reporting a stronger profit than analysts expected. That helped it recover some of its stock's 14.3% sell-off from the prior day, when it and other health insurers got walloped by a proposed rate increase for Medicare Advantage by the U.S. government that fell well short of what investors hoped.
But Amphenol’s stock tumbled 12.8% even though the maker of fiber-optic connectors and other high-tech equipment reported stronger growth in profit and revenue for the end of 2025 than analysts had forecast. Expectations were high for the company after its stock came into the day with an already big surge of 23% for the young year so far.
Companies across the market are under pressure to deliver solid growth in profits following the record-setting runs for their stock prices. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term, and earnings need to rise to quiet criticism that stock prices have grown too expensive.
Apple slipped 0.7% ahead of its profit report coming on Thursday, and it was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.
In the foreign-currency market, the U.S. dollar found some stability and was up against the British pound, Japanese yen and others. A day earlier, an index measuring the U.S. dollar’s value against several of its peers dropped to its weakest level since early 2022.
The dollar’s value has been generally falling since President Donald Trump entered the White House last year, and its descent accelerated after Trump threatened tariffs earlier this month against several European countries that he said opposed his taking control of Greenland.
Such threats, along with worries about risks like the U.S. government’s heavy debt, have periodically pushed global investors to step away from U.S. markets, a move that’s come to be called “Sell America.”
In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady ahead of an announcement coming in the afternoon from the Federal Reserve on interest rates. The widespread expectation is that it will hold its main interest rate steady.
The Fed cut rates several times last year in hopes of shoring up the job market, but inflation remains stubbornly above its 2% target. Lower interest rates could worsen inflation while giving the economy a boost.
Lower interest rates could also further undercut the U.S. dollar’s value, which would help U.S. exporters. Trump has been pushing aggressively for lower rates.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 4.25% from 4.24% late Tuesday.
As global investors have stepped away from the U.S. dollar due to political instability and other worries, prices have surged for gold and other metals as investors searched for something safer to own. Gold’s price topped $5,000 per ounce this week for the first time, and it added another 3.5% to $5,258.70.
In stock markets abroad, indexes sank in Europe following better performances in Asia.
South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.7% to another record, thanks in part to a 5.1% leap for chip company SK Hynix, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rallied 2.6%.
AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
The Fearless Girl statue stands in the snow in front of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Specialist Michael Pistillo works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Shanghai, Nikkei and New York Dow indexes at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
