(Adds detail, quotes from press conf)
BERLIN, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Greenpeace and German
environmental NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) will take legal
action against Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler's
Mercedes-Benz, and gas and oil firm Wintershall Dea
if they do not step up their policies to tackle
climate change, they said on Friday.
The cases would be modelled on one brought against Royal
Dutch Shell in the Netherlands last year arguing the
company's lack of climate action constituted a failure in its
duty of care to citizens, which led to a court ruling in May
mandating the company to reduce its CO2 output by 45% from 2019
levels by 2030.
Greenpeace and DUH demand that the automakers stop producing
combustion engine cars by 2030 - earlier than the 2035 effective
ban proposed by the EU in July - and that Wintershall Dea
refrains from exploring any new oil and gas fields from
2026.
These deadlines are necessary to meet the goals of the Paris
climate accords and German climate law, the NGOs argue.
They set a deadline of a few weeks for the companies to
respond to their demands. Should they fail to do so, the NGOs
will file lawsuits in German courts, they said.
Daimler and BMW said they were committed to the goals of the
Paris climate accords and were already on the path to climate
neutrality. Wintershall DEA and Volkswagen were not immediately
available for comment.
(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee
Editing by Mark Potter, Kirsti Knolle)