ENVIRONMENTALISTS claimed a small legal victory today after a German court said it would continue hearing a case seeking to force car giant Volkswagen to stop selling combustion engine vehicles.

Farmer Ulf Allhoff-Cramer, who brought the case, says drier soil and heavier rains caused by climate change are harming his fields, cattle and forests.

He argues that Volkswagen is partly to blame for this, as the mass production of vehicles running on fossil fuels contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

During a first hearing in May, a regional court in the western German town of Detmold, judges asked the plaintiff to provide further details to back up his legal arguments.

Today, the court again asked for more details and scheduled a further hearing for February 3.

“To me, this is a first success because we weren’t dismissed here and don’t have to go to appeals,” said Roda Verheyen, the plaintiff’s lawyer.

Greenpeace, which supports the case, said it is the first time that a court will consider whether a car manufacturer can be forced to change its business practices to prevent climate-related harm to a plaintiff’s health and property.

Volkswagen has disputed Mr Allhoff-Cramer’s allegations and pointed to the company’s effort to shift production to electric vehicles in the coming years.