German environmental group files lawsuits against automobile giants BMW, Mercedes-Benz

On Tuesday, September 21, German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) stated that it has launched lawsuits against BMW and Mercedes-Benz for refusing to comply with their carbon emission targets. With its litigation, the non-governmental organization intends to compel BMW and Mercedes to put an end to their climate-killing city tanks to phase out diesel and gasoline cars by 2030, stated DUH CEO Jurgen Resch.

As reported by reported by Xinhua, the DUH had previously requested Mercedes-Benz and BMW to phase out combustion engines by 2030, but both companies declined to make any enforceable commitments. The DUH demanded both German carmakers to reform their operations in a climate-friendly manner by significantly decreasing CO2 emissions of their automobiles in accordance with the binding regulations of the Paris climate agreement and German climate protection law, reported Xinhua news agency. 

The plaintiffs believe that the carmakers' methods are insufficient to reach global targets, despite the fact that they have announced intentions to move away from petrol and diesel vehicles. DUH and Greenpeace submitted letters to the two carmakers, as well as Volkswagen and the gas company Wintershall, in early September, urging them to commit to more ambitious carbon reduction targets. With more than 212 million tonnes, BMW and Mercedes-Benz accounted for more than a quarter of Germany's total CO2 emissions in 2019, claimed the DUH.

'Daimler refused to sign on to the climate organisations' proposals'

It should be mentioned here that Daimler, which is one of the most well-known automobile manufacturers in the world, refused to sign the climate organisations' proposals, according to DUH. However, Daimler said in a statement on Tuesday, September 21, that it "clearly accepts" the targets in the Paris Climate Agreement also understands the need for decarbonisation in the auto industry. While BMW stated that it was already committed to the Paris Climate Agreement, Volkswagen, which owns Audi, Porsche, and Skoda, refrained from giving any statement, reported Xinhua news agency. It should be mentioned here that in the month of July, the European Union's (EU) antitrust authorities fined Volkswagen and BMW 875 million euros for conspiring on anti-pollution technology for diesel vehicles. 

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