German court keeps hearing farmer’s climate case against VW

BERLIN (AP) — Environmentalists are claiming a small legal victory after a court in Germany said it would continue hearing a case brought by a farmer seeking to force automaker Volkswagen to end the sale of combustion engine vehicles. The plaintiff says drier soil and heavier rains due to climate change are harming his fields, cattle and commercial forests. He argues that Volkswagen is partly to blame for this, as the mass production of vehicles running on gasoline contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. A regional court in the western German town of Detmold on Friday asked for further details and set a new hearing for Feb. 3. VW denies that it can be directly linked to any climate-related damages the farmer has suffered.