The group is sued by Deutsche Umwelthilfe.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Deutsche Umwelthilfe has now also filed a “climate action” against the oil and gas company Wintershall Dea after car companies. This is to force the group to reduce gas and oil production, as can be seen from the complaint submitted to the German press agency. Wintershall should no longer be allowed to open new oil or gas fields or participate in them from 2026. According to environmental aid, the lawsuit was submitted to the responsible regional court in Kassel.
Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Federal Managing Director of Environmental Aid, criticized Wintershall for fueling the climate crisis with annual greenhouse gas emissions of around 80 million tons. Binding reduction paths are necessary with which the Paris climate targets can be met. The group not only operates oil and gas projects around the world, but is also involved in the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline.
Before filing the lawsuit, Umwelthilfe said it had set a deadline for the group. Within this, Wintershall should commit to adhering to a Paris-compatible CO2 budget and no new oil or gas production should begin by 2026 at the latest. The company refused.
Wintershall had already resisted legal pressure from environmental aid. The company supports the EU’s CO2 emissions targets, the company announced two weeks ago. “With our natural gas, we are making a contribution to more climate protection by replacing the generation of electricity from coal with more climate-friendly natural gas and enabling the production of hydrogen from natural gas,” said CEO Mario Mehren.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Umwelthilfe had already sued BMW and Mercedes-Benz two weeks ago. The aim is to put an end to diesel and gasoline cars by 2030.
The environmental aid sees the climate share of the Federal Constitutional Court from the spring as the basis for the lawsuits. The ruling basically says that on the way to the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality, drastic steps to reduce emissions must not be put on the back burner at the expense of the younger generation.
More: Environmental groups are threatening car companies with lawsuits if CO2 emissions are not reduced. The auto industry wants to defend itself by all means.
