Dutch government to appeal landmark climate change ruling

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government is appealing a landmark court ruling that ordered it to slash greenhouse gas emissions, in a case seen as a possible precedent for similar legal action around the world.

The government announced Tuesday it will appeal the June ruling that it must cut emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels. But the government added that it also will begin implementing the order while the appeal, which will likely take months or years, is underway.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government said it is appealing because it has "question marks about the way the court judged Cabinet policies."

The activist group that brought the case said the government does not need to appeal if it only wants to check the ruling's legality.