The German Environmental Aid (Deutsche Umwelthilfe, DUH) lost its appeal against the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof). On Monday the court rejected the DUH’s revisions to earlier judgments from the Munich and Stuttgart courts.
According to the Karlsruhe judges, private citizens do not have a right to force car makers to end the sale of combustion‑engine passenger cars early. The plaintiffs had argued that manufacturers’ reliance on high CO₂ consumption curtailed the political policy space and therefore infringed on the plaintiffs’ general personality rights. They demanded that BMW and Mercedes‑Benz stop marketing any new combustion‑engine cars from 31 October 2030 whenever those vehicles emit certain greenhouse gases.
The court clarified that the accused companies fully comply with all statutory climate‑protection requirements, and no additional traffic safety obligations exist beyond those already imposed by law. Responsibility for future climate legislation rests solely with the legislature, which must establish an appropriate framework for climate protection (judgments dated 23 March 2026, VI ZR 334/23 and VI ZR 365/23).