BMW and Daimler sued for refusing to tighten carbon targets

According to foreign media reports, BMW and Daimler have refused to tighten their carbon emissions targets and refuse to completely stop cars that use fossil fuels by 2030. Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), a German non-governmental environmental group, filed a lawsuit against BMW and Daimler on the evening of Sept. 20, the first time a German citizen has sued a private company for exacerbating climate change.

In early September, the environmental group sent a letter asking BMW and Daimler to agree to tighten carbon emissions requirements by September 20, including restrictions on the production of internal combustion engine cars by 2030. So far, neither of the two companies has set a date for stopping production of cars with internal combustion engines. On Sept. 20, BMW and Daimler confirmed that they had not accepted the environmental group's request.

In May 2020, the German Supreme Court ruled that Germany's climate law was not good enough in terms of sustainable development and benefiting future generations, so it set a carbon budget for major economic sectors, that is, by 2030, carbon emissions must be reduced by 65 per cent from 1990 levels, higher than the previous target of 55 per cent, and stated that Germany must be carbon neutral by 2045.

The court held at that time that while meeting these requirements meant imposing some restrictions on the way of life of contemporary people, if we did not do so, our future generations would make greater sacrifices.

At the same time as Germany revised its carbon budget, the Dutch environmental group won a lawsuit accusing Royal Dutch Shell of not doing a good job in mitigating its impact on the climate. Shell was the first private company to be ordered by the court to reduce emissions. The revision of Germany's carbon budget and the victory of the Dutch environmental protection group have added confidence to German environmental groups, and German environmental activists are filing lawsuits to fight for their own environmental interests.

Daimler aims to produce all-electric cars by 2030 and provide electric alternatives to all models by 2025. BMW aims to account for at least half of global sales of electric vehicles by 2030, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions per vehicle by 40%.

Both companies say their goals are in line with the international Paris agreement on tackling global warming. But environmental groups argue that the companies' emissions reduction targets are lower than Germany's climate regulations and the carbon budget set by (IPCC), the intergovernmental panel on climate change.

If German environmental groups win lawsuits against BMW and Daimler, more similar lawsuits could follow.