Climate NGOs in Germany threaten legal action against VW, Daimler, BMW
BERLIN, - Greenpeace and German environmental NGO Deutsche
Umwelthilfe (DUH) will take legal action against Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), BMW
(BMWG.DE), Daimler's Mercedes-Benz (DAIGn.DE), and gas and oil firm Wintershall
Dea (WINT.UL)if they do not step up their policies to tackle climate change,
they said on Friday.
The cases would be modelled on one brought against Royal
Dutch Shell (RDSa.L)in the Netherlands last year arguing the company's lack of
climate action constituted a failure in its duty of care to citizens, which led
to a court ruling in May mandating the company to reduce its CO2 output by 45%
from 2019 levels by 2030.
Greenpeace and DUH demand that the automakers stop producing
combustion engine cars by 2030 - earlier than the 2035 effective ban proposed
by the EU in July - and that Wintershall Dea refrains from exploring any new
oil and gas fields from 2026.
These deadlines are necessary to meet the goals of the Paris
climate accords and German climate law, the NGOs argue.
They set a deadline of a few weeks for the companies to
respond to their demands. Should they fail to do so, the NGOs will file
lawsuits in German courts, they said.
Daimler and BMW said they were committed to the goals of the
Paris climate accords and were already on the path to climate neutrality.
Wintershall DEA and Volkswagen were not immediately available for comment.
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