earth science

Milieudefensie

Milieudefensie is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Milieudefensie rather than just read about it. In short: Milieudefensie (Dutch for "environmental defense") is a Dutch environmental organisation, founded on 6 January 1971, by a group of scientists in response to a report by the Club of Rome. It is the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth.

Key takeaways

Milieudefensie belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Milieudefensie to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Milieudefensie from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Milieudefensie (Dutch for "environmental defense") is a Dutch environmental organisation, founded on 6 January 1971, by a group of scientists in response to a report by the Club of Rome. It is the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth. Milieudefensie is part of the 30 national organisations that Friends of the Earth Europe represents and unites at the European level. Milieudefensie's mission is a good life for all people on earth and for generations to come. Its focus is on climate justice, more specifically a fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of solutions to the climate crisis. In recent years its focus is specifically on corporate accountability in relation to the climate crisis. Milieudefensie has approximately 90,000 members and a support base of 175,000 people. It engages its support base in its activities, which are a combination of public campaigns, legal actions and political lobbying.

Milieudefensie v Shell: the climate case In 2018, Milieudefensie started a lawsuit against fossil fuel company Shell to hold the company responsible for its share in the climate crisis, and to demand that it makes climate plans in line with internationally agreed targets. In 2021, the judge's verdict stated that Shell has to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030, compared to 2019 figures. This applies also to scope 3 emissions, or the emissions caused by the use of Shell's products. International media stated that "Shell's historic loss in The Hague is a turning point in the fight against big oil" and that the case is "the most dramatic turning point" among a number of climate-related court cases that will lead "oil giants toward a 'tipping point'". The case has inspired other lawsuits, including one against Italian oil major Eni. Shell appealed the ruling of the court. Hearings took place in April 2024 and the court decided in Shell´s favor on 12 November 2024. The judges saw Shell not fully responsible for the CO2 "scope 2" and "scope 3" emissions caused by suppliers and customers and an actual obligation to reduce these emissions by a fixed percentage would be out of scope. The judges stated, that competitors could take market shares from Shell by selling more coal and gas in the process, which would not result in a reduction of CO2 emissions.

Milieudefensie v ING Bank In January 2024, Milieudefensie issued a notice of liability to the Dutch bank ING. Milieudefensie considers ING a Global Systemically Important Bank that has a duty of care with regard to climate change. It argues that ING should take climate action that will lead to a reduction of its CO2 emissions of 48% by 2030 as compared to 2019. This is a slightly larger figure than in the Shell case, because it reflects the most up to date science. The case largely follows the same legal strategy as the case against Shell.

People power Milieudefensie works with its support base to put pressure on large companies and on politicians to act according to climate agreements. Milieudefensie's strategy is based on 'people power': when a large number of people speaks out for a certain demand, it will become impossible for companies and politicians to ignore that demand. In recent years, it has among others:

co-organized the largest climate demonstration in Dutch history (on 12 November 2023, with 85,000 participants); attended large companies' shareholder meetings to ask the boards whether they intend to reduce their CO2 emissions by 45%; organized the 'manifest for climate justice' which has been signed by over 80,000 people.

International work Milieudefensie works internationally in two alliances: the Green Livelihoods Alliance and the Fair, Green and Global alliance. Milieudefensie also lobbies for international and EU legislation and guidelines. Among others, they provided input on the revised OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises 2023 and on the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

See also Milieudefensie et al v Royal Dutch Shell

References

External links Official Dutch website and Official international website Friends of the Earth International Website Friends of the Earth Europe Website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Milieudefensie

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Milieudefensie claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Milieudefensie before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Milieudefensie ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Milieudefensie

In research: Milieudefensie appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Milieudefensie in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Milieudefensie is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1971 establishments in the Netherlands, Climate change organizations, Environmental advocacy groups, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Milieudefensie outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Milieudefensie in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Milieudefensie means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Milieudefensie out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Milieudefensie in simple terms?

Why does Milieudefensie matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Milieudefensie?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Milieudefensie.