Peruvian farmer’s case against German energy giant RWE could reshape global climate accountability

Bogota, Colombia (AP) – as a crucial lawsuit in the climate that goes to the trial in Germany Next week, experts say the case presented by the Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lilia against the German energy giant RWE can put a big precedent in the battle to hold the senior contaminants accountable for climate change.

“This is one of the first cases of its kind-a case that a person brought directly affected by climate change against the main greenhouse gases-which made it along the way to trial,” said Noah Walker Kraovord, a research colleague at the London College of Economics and a consultant to the unhappy GERMANWATCH Consultant, which was advised by Lliuya.

Lliuya lawsuit against Rwe He argues that the historical greenhouse gas emissions have fed global warming, Speeding ice melting Above his hometown of Hawaraz, Peru. As a result, Palcacocha Lake swells to dangerous levels, threatening society at a threat of catastrophic flooding.

RWE, which has never worked in Peru, denies legal responsibility, on the pretext that climate change represents a global issue caused by many shareholders.

Anxiety about the melting of glaciers

“It is very sad and painful to see the icebergs melt,” said Lliuya, 45, in Associated Press in a video call from Germany. “There is a lot of anxiety from people in my community about the future, about the issue of water, because all rivers descending from the mountains are used for cultivation.”

Walker Croford said about all these cases around the world, and this is the cases that have become further.

He said: “It has already been set a partial precedent in that the courts have found that they were acceptable in 2017, which means that the judges said that the case is legally strong.” “Now, the court hears evidence, and we will see whether the company’s responsibility in this specific case can be proven.”

Sebastien Duyck, chief lawyer at the Center for International Environmental Law, says the reason that the case is very important is not the same decision or the amount of damage required, but a precedent will determine it.

He said: “If we are able to use the law of damage to say that any fossil fuel company has contributed greatly to climate change, it can be responsible for the climate -related costs in proportion to its emissions, it may open the door for many similar cases around the world.”

The issue can be a “game change”

The issue can be a “game change”, according to Mauri Worth, from Zero Carbon Analytics, a research group on climate change.

“This condition is very important,” while this is only one case focuses on this one place in Peru, the broader effects are enormous. The costs and damages caused by climate change can go to dozens of trillion dollars per year, and if fossil fuel companies are found as a whole responsible for those costs, they will completely change the corsets and surfing technology for the entire fuel. “

RWE is one of the largest energy companies in Germany, historically recognized as a major electricity producer from fossil fuel.

RWE says the lawsuit is legally unacceptable and that it puts a dangerous precedent by holding individual players accountable for changing global climate.

“In our opinion, there is no legal basis for the contract of individual exporters responsible for global phenomena such as climate change. Because of the large number of global emissions of greenhouse gases from natural and human resources, as well as the complexity of the climate, in our opinion, we cannot attribute a specific law for climate change to one source,” said the company in response to the questions posed by AP.

The company insists that climate solutions must be addressed through government and international policies, not courts.

Walker Croford said the court enters the collection of evidence, and examines whether Lliuya’s house is already facing a major risk of floods.

He said: “If the court decides that the risks are high enough, then it will evaluate whether RWE emissions can be scientifically related to this danger.”

Regardless of the final result of the case, Walker-Crawford said it is likely to enhance the legal basis for future lawsuit.

He said: “Even if the risks specified in this case are not high enough, the precedent that companies can bear responsibility for their climatic effects will remain.”

The results of the case can have financial repercussions.

Climate litigation may affect the financial markets

“We have already started to see the impact of the climate on the financial markets,” said Walker Kraovord. “Research has shown that when climate cases move against major obstacles, they negatively affect the market value of the companies that are being prosecuted. Investors began our knowledge of the financial climate litigation that could be presented.”

Lliuya, who also works as a mountain guide for tourists, said that he started the lawsuit without little hope. Ten years later, this hope grew.

He said: “When the German judges visited my home and the lake in 2022, he gave me hope – I hope our voices will be heard and that justice may be possible. Whatever the result, we have come a long way and I feel satisfied with that.”

The session will start on Monday.

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Franklin Brigsino in Lima, Peru, contributed to this report.

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