Germany court rejects climate lawsuit in favor of Mercedes-Benz News
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Germany court rejects climate lawsuit in favor of Mercedes-Benz

A German court Tuesday rejected a lawsuit filed by environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe intended to bar Mercedes-Benz from selling cars with combustion engines that emit greenhouse gases after 2030.

Deutsche Umwelthilfe claimed that Mercedes-Benz must comply with the Paris Climate Protection Agreement and the German Climate Protection Act regarding reduction in its vehicles’ CO2 emissions. Deutsche Umwelthilfe Federal Managing Director stated that the “new vehicles from Mercedes have the highest CO2 emissions of all manufacturers in Europe” and “the German car manufacturers have been preventing effective climate protection laws for decades.”

In response to Tuesday’s court decision, Deutsche Umwelthilfe stated their intent to appeal the decision, saying they “demand a drastic reduction in CO2 emissions from vehicles and the end of combustion engines for new cars by 2030 at the latest.” The organization believes that “[o]nly higher courts will clarify this fundamental question.” Deutsche Umwelthilfe has additional pending climate change lawsuits against companies including BMW and Wintershall Dea, an oil and natural gas company.

In July, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution stating that access to a clean, healthy environment is a universal human right.

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