THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch appeals court has upheld a landmark ruling that ordered the Dutch government to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels.

The original June 2015 ruling came in a case brought by the environmental group Urgenda on behalf of 900 Dutch citizens. Similar cases are now underway in several countries around the world.

Cheers and applause rang around the packed courtroom Tuesday as Hague Appeals Court Presiding Judge Marie-Anne Tan-de Sonnaville rejected the government's appeal. The court said the government is under a legal obligation to take measures to protect its citizens against dangerous climate change.

Since the original judgment, a new Dutch government has pledged to reduce emissions by 49 percent by 2030.