German Climate Activists Sue BMW, Mercedes For 'Torpedoing' CO2 Reduction Goals

A German environmental agency said on Tuesday that it is suing carmakers BMW and Mercedes for failing on their green pledges, in what it said would be the first climate-action lawsuit against German business

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2021) A German environmental agency said on Tuesday that it is suing carmakers BMW and Mercedes for failing on their green pledges, in what it said would be the first climate-action lawsuit against German business.

Environmental Action Germany (DUH) said in a statement that lawsuits had been filed on Monday with district courts in Stuttgart and Munich, the seats of the car giants.

"They constantly brag in public about their so-called green plans... In reality, they are torpedoing climate protection and the Paris deal with vehicles that have a particularly negative impact on the climate," DUH said.

The nonprofit said the companies could have avoided litigation if they pledged to stop the sales of fossil-fuel cars by 2030 and take other climate-friendly action, but both refused in writing on Monday. DUH quoted Mercedes as saying it would defend itself "with all legal means."

DUH has been measuring CO2 emissions from passenger cars in Germany since 2016. It estimated that BMW vehicles emitted roughly 94 million tonnes in 2019, on par with Austria and Greece, while Mercedes was responsible for almost 119 millions tonnes, the same amount as produced by Venezuela.