Peruvian Farmer Takes German Energy Giant to Court Over Climate Impact

Saul Luciano Lliuya seeks damages from RWE for glacier melt threatening his home, marking a pivotal climate justice case.

Saul Luciano Lliuya, a farmer from Huaraz, Peru, has filed a lawsuit against RWE, one of Europe’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, for its role in climate change threatening his home.
The case revolves around the melting of the Palcacocha glacier in the Andes, which has raised the risk of catastrophic flooding for over 50,000 residents in the area.
Lliuya and the NGO Germanwatch are demanding RWE contribute €17,000, proportional to its global emissions share, toward the €3.5 million cost of mitigating the flood risk.
RWE argues the claim is legally inadmissible, stating it is impossible to attribute specific climate impacts to a single emitter, despite its significant contribution to global emissions.
The trial, seen as a landmark for global climate justice, could set a precedent for holding corporations accountable for climate-related damages.