Backed by Greenpeace, farmer sues VW over climate change
ABC News
A German court is set to begin hearing a case brought against Volkswagen by a farmer who claims the automaker is partly responsible for the impact that global warming is having on his family business
BERLIN -- A German court on Friday is set to begin hearing a case brought against Volkswagen by a farmer who claims the automaker is partly responsible for the impact that global warming is having on his family business.
"Farmers are already being hit harder and faster by climate change than expected," the plaintiff, Ulf Allhoff-Cramer, told reporters this week ahead of the hearing before a regional court in the western town of Detmold.
Environmental group Greenpeace, which has backed several legal cases in Germany aimed at holding companies and government accountable for climate change, is supporting Allhoff-Cramer in his claim.
Such cases have met with mixed success: some have been dismissed, while one made it to Germany's top court, which last year ordered the government to step up its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
