Exploring Governmental and Victim Responsibilities in View of Abrupt Climate Change in North-Western Europe

The climate change problem forces the government to implement a policy protecting its society and economy against the possible damage that might be caused by changing weather conditions. At the same time, it can be questioned to what extent citizens are able to (and should) take responsibility to avoid climate change damage, and how the government can enact policies to stimulate such private action. In addition, the particular case of a highly uncertain but possible abrupt climatic event challenges society even more, because the large uncertainty complicates the development of cost-effective strategies for avoiding harm. In this perspective, this essay discusses the following sub questions: 1) Which fundamental legal starting points determine the role of the government with respect to an abrupt cooling down from 2015 onwards?; and 2) Which legal instruments can be thought of with respect to engaging the responsibility of potential victims - and especially of citizens - in dealing with prevention and compensation of damage resulting from this temperature fall? And how can the government help in compensating damages? The first question will be discussed within the context of the legal system of in particular the Netherlands, thereby focusing on positive obligations of the government in order to protect the environment and, in a broader sense, the living conditions of men. The second question will be mainly discussed from a perspective of law and economics. In the final conclusion, we present key topics for future legal research towards the role of the government regarding abrupt climatic events