BRUSSELS

The Dutch government is preparing for potential climate lawsuits and may consider using its national climate fund to cover possible penalty payments, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported.

Research by NOS together with investigative programs Argos and What's Stopping Us?, and the newspaper Trouw, found that the Ministry of Finance fears the Netherlands could miss its legally binding goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Those concerns include the financial impact of legal challenges if the country falls short.

Internal documents obtained under the Open Government Act reportedly show that officials worry court rulings could force costly emergency measures to reduce CO2 emissions. The documents also suggest the climate fund, intended to finance long-term emission-reduction projects, could instead be used to pay fines.

“The intention isn’t for fines to be paid from the climate fund. The climate fund law states that this money is intended for measures to combat climate change,” Daphne Dupont-Nivet of What's Stopping Us? said.

The Ministries of Finance and Climate and Green Growth said penalty payments “are not currently an option,” and no funds have been set aside for fines or emergency action.

Last September, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency said the chance of achieving the 2030 emissions target was “very unlikely,” putting the probability at less than 5%.

Greenpeace has filed a lawsuit against the government over its climate plans, arguing that the administration is failing to ensure the required emissions cuts. The government says its approach meets obligations and that the targets act as guidelines rather than strict mandates.