MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - German environmental aid group Deutsche Umwelthilfe has failed with a climate lawsuit against BMW. The association had demanded that the Munich-based automaker stop selling gasoline and diesel cars from 2030. The company had rejected the demand as unfounded. The decision of the Munich I Regional Court on Tuesday is not yet legally binding.

The plaintiffs see their general personal rights violated by the CO2 emissions of car sales. Although the court did not rule out such an encroachment, it decided that there was no threat of an unlawful violation at the present time.

The judges referred to a decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of 2021, which obliges the legislature to protect the climate. In the present case, no special features were apparent that could lead to a different assessment. The Stuttgart Regional Court had also dismissed a similar lawsuit brought by Umwelthilfe against Mercedes-Benz in September.

BMW welcomed the district court's ruling. "The debate about the way to achieve the climate targets must take place in the political process, through the democratically legitimized parliaments - but not in the courtroom," said a spokesman./jml/DP/men