How to care for Bonaire?
On Wednesday, January 28, judges in The Hague sided with residents of Bonaire and Greenpeace in the Bonaire lawsuit against the Dutch government. In this landmark case, residents of Bonaire – together with Greenpeace – made the case for meaningful climate action: faster reductions in CO2 emissions and fair protection against the impacts of the climate crisis. Protection that current Dutch climate policy so far has failed to provide. In this programme, we will reflect on what the lawsuit means in practice. The evening centres around the launch of the new video ‘How to Care for Bonaire’ by Prof Poldergeist which exposes the absence of climate justice for Bonaire, and shows why the current Dutch climate adaptation framework falls short. Following the screening of the video, we will continue the conversation with experts and knowledge holders to highlight the discrepancy between how climate adaptation is currently imagined in the European Netherlands and how island communities themselves envision their future. It therefore offers policymakers and audiences in the European Netherlands a clearer understanding of the lived realities on the island and of why urgent policy change is needed to ensure climate justice across the Kingdom.
In conversation with Simon Richter Professor at University of Pennsylvania, and 'Professor Poldergeist' on YouTube Eefje Kroon Lead campaigner Climate Justice at Greenpeace Nederland Lysanne Charles PhD Political Anthropology focusing on Governance, Climate Change, Policy Development and Community Engagement; Caribbeanist, Feminist & Womanist Peter Verweij Senior research lead: land use policy, earth informatics and futures thinking at Wageningen University & Research Read more Professor PoldergeistDr Poldergeist is the alter ego of Simon Richter, Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Simon's research focuses on cultural aspects of climate adaptation in Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United States. As an environmental humanist, Simon engages in activities that blur distinctions between traditional scholarship, urban design, and environmental activism. Simon and Poldergeist are featured in the VPRO documentary "De Klimaatverkenner" (2022). In 2023, he collaborated with Dutch comedian Patrick Nederkoorn to produce "A New Peace of Münster," a documentary about climate migration along the Dutch-German border. Project Poldergeist is an experiment in storytelling, creative reflection, intercultural awareness, and collaboration. With Penn fine arts prof Joshua Mosley, Simon co-directs the Penn Animation as Research Lab.
