A District Court in The Hague ruled last month that the government of the Netherlands must make more drastic cuts to its greenhouse-gas emissions (see Nature http://doi.org/559; 2015). Given that climate lawsuits are increasingly being brought against governments, other countries would do well to heed the District Court's pioneer ruling.

The court declared that the current Dutch policy, which is expected to cut emissions by 17% by 2020, was an infringement of the state's duty of care towards its citizens because of the severe consequences of climate change and the risk to the population.

The Dutch state is now obliged under private law to take adequate mitigation measures to avert the dangers associated with climate change. It must cut its emissions by at least 25% by 2020, relative to 1990 levels — the minimum target set by climate scientists (see also go.nature.com/nxhe5h).