“How to Care for Bonaire?” — PARLab Premiere at Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam

“How to Care for Bonaire?” — PARLab Premiere at Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam
How to change the Dutch climate policy framework for climate justice?
March 11, 2026, 20.00
Free admission

On Wednesday, January 28, judges in The Hague sided with residents of Bonaire and Greenpeace in the Bonaire climate 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. The judges agreed and found that the state had violated Bonaireans’ human rights. In this program, we will reflect on what the lawsuit means in practice. The evening centers on the launch of the new Poldergeist video ‘How to Care about Bonaire,’ 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.

Panelists: 

Simon Richter
Professor at University of Pennsylvania, and 'Professor Poldergeist' on YouTube

Lysanne Charles
PhD Political Anthropology focusing on Governance, Climate Change, Policy Development and Community Engagement; Caribbeanist, Feminist & Womanist

Maarten de Zeeuw
Climate expert and project lead of the Bonaire climate case at Greenpeace Netherlands

Radinka Ustasia
Director of Maanarak of Grey B.V., a Bonaire-based social enterprise

Bertram de Rooij
Landschapsarchitect, Wageningen Environmental Research

PARLAB Animation Credits:

Script and Voice: Simon Richter
Artistic Director: Joshua Mosley

PARLab Artists: Angela Lin, Julia Gerbino, Minnie Kim, Tanisha Gerg, Xinyue Qiu