Volkswagen refuses to commit to 2030 ICE phase out

Volkswagen is the third car manufacturer to defend itself against the demand of environmental associations for a forced phase-out of internal combustion engines by 2030. “Volkswagen will not issue the cease-and-desist declaration you demand,” reads a letter from Volkswagen to Greenpeace.

++ This article has been updated. Kindly continue reading below. ++

Martin Kaiser, executive director of Greenpeace Germany, reacted by saying “Volkswagen has today missed the opportunity to present a strategy of its own accord with which the company can make its contribution to keeping within the 1.5 degree limit. We will therefore file a lawsuit in the coming days as announced.” In September, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (German Environmental Aid) had already filed complaints against BMW and Mercedes-Benz after the manufacturers failed to declare in due time that they would refrain from building combustion engines beyond 2030.

Update 09 November 2021

Greenpeace has now officially filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen AG for failing to protect the climate. The lawsuit calls on Volkswagen to end the sale of internal combustion vehicles worldwide by 2030 at the latest. The company had not submitted a corresponding declaration of discontinuance demanded by Greenpeace.

“Negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow indicate that the 1.5-degree target is at stake and can only be met with a bold change of course in politics and business,” said Martin Kaiser, Executive Director of Greenpeace Germany, adding: “But while people suffer from floods and droughts triggered by the climate crisis, CO2 emissions from transport continue to rise. Car companies like Volkswagen need to take responsibility and act much faster to phase out the highly-polluting internal combustion engine, and decarbonise their activities with no further delay.”

heise.de, oekonews.at (both in German), greenpeace.org (update)