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On the first day of COP27 – the annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate – Daphina Misiedjan explains on radio programme Vroege Vogels what is meant by climate injustice. "Especially countries in the global South are experiencing the impact of climate change, while they have actually contributed little to it in terms of CO₂ emissions. At the same time, these countries have less capital and less access to technology that can protect them." Furthermore, Misiedjan is preparing a lawsuit with Greenpeace against the Dutch state, seeking to enforce climate policies for Bonaire.  Daphina Misiedjan – previously affiliated with the Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law – now works at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS). 

Western countries are criticised for not meeting the $100 billion pledged annually to help low-income countries in climate adaptation and climate mitigation. But isn't 80 billion (as calculated by the OECD) already quite a lot? "You have to look at how one distributes the money, how countries can claim it," Misiedjan says. "Then you see a lot of bureaucratic obstacles and also conditions that have to be met for countries to claim those funds. Sometimes only a small part of the money reaches the people it is meant for. Corruption in those recipient countries can indeed form an obstacle, but now we see all the same that the money does not end up well, namely mainly with Western companies."

Misiedjan is currently advising Greenpeace in preparing a court case to enforce climate aid for Bonaire. "The interesting thing is that in recent decades we have had a number of climate treaties to which the Netherlands is a party. But the Netherlands has only signed these for the European Netherlands, and not for the Caribbean islands as well, with the result that there are actually no climate plans for them. But Bonaire is seen as a municipality of the Netherlands, and that means the Netherlands has a direct duty of care. In recent , we have seen that one-fifth of Bonaire will disappear within 80 years due to climate change if no action is taken. So there needs to be a plan for Bonaire and the other islands. The lawsuit is meant to enforce this." While the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has a lot on her mind, Misiedjan says, she should work on this. "Climate has been a bit under the radar. There was also Sint Maarten with Hurricane Irma. These are really very clear themes that need to be addressed now." 

What does Misiedjan expect from the court case? "The Urgenda case established a duty of care for the European Netherlands, also based on human rights. I hope this will now also be done for the Caribbean part. Furthermore, I hope that during COP27, the Netherlands not only will represent the interests of the European Netherlands but also of the Caribbean, by sticking to the 1.5 degrees of warming. Next week I will speak to the Tweede Kamer about this, and I will then advise them to move in this direction."