Environmental groups to sue German carmakers over carbon emissions

Following on from their success suing the government for its unambitious climate targets, a group of environmental organisations are now taking aim at other “climate sinners”: namely, three German car manufacturers and an oil company. 

Greenpeace and DUH to sue German car manufacturers

Climate NGOs Greenpeace and Environmental Action Germany (DUH) last week announced their intention to sue a collection of international German companies over their shoddy climate record. 

The organisations have singled out the German carmakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VW, as well as Wintershall Dea, an energy company, for attack. In a joint letter published on Friday, the climate associations wrote, “The current and planned measures of the four corporations contradict the Paris climate targets and are therefore illegal.” 

They are calling on the car manufacturers to stop the sale of cars with combustion engines by 2030, and further wish to prevent Wintershall Dea from being able to open up new oil and gas fields by 2026 at the latest. 

German government brought to task for vague climate plans

Earlier this year, a group of climate activists successfully brought charges against the German federal government for failing to sufficiently tackle carbon emissions in its Climate Protection Act, passed at the end of 2019. The Federal Constitutional Court ruled in April 2021 that the law was partially unconstitutional because it postponed the most major changes until after 2030, placing an unfairly heavy burden on future generations. 

In their letter, the NGOs point out that large corporations are also bound by this ruling. "The BVerG concluded in its groundbreaking climate decision that future generations have a basic right to climate protection. Large corporations are also bound by this!" the DUH tweeted. 

The lawyers who helped the environmental activists mount their case against the government will also represent DUH and Greenpeace in this case.