A German higher administrative court has ruled that energy company RWE and the relevant authorities must temporarily halt the felling of Germany’s Hambach Forest, in response to a case brought by Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND).
Prof. Dr. Hermann E. Ott, head of ClientEarth’s new German office, said: “This is a fantastic legal victory, demonstrating again the power of the law to defend people and nature. It has led the court to do what politicians have long failed to: pave the way for a political decision by Germany’s ‘coal commission’ before the year is out.
“BUND and its lawyers have secured a decision that may not only save the ancient Hambach Forest, but could set the scene for an effective climate policy, beyond coal, in Germany.”