HAMM, Germany — A German court ruled against a Peruvian farmer on Wednesday in a landmark climate lawsuit where he claimed that global warming fueled by energy company RWE ‘s historical greenhouse gas emissions put his home at risk.
Farmer and mountain guide Saúl Luciano Lliuya said that glaciers above his hometown of Huaraz, Peru, are melting, increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding. RWE, which has never operated in Peru, denies legal responsibility, arguing that climate change is a global issue caused by many contributors.
The state court in Hamm, in western Germany, dismissed the lawsuit Wednesday. The case has been going on for a decade. Lliuya can’t appeal the ruling further.
Experts said that the case had the potential to set a significant precedent in the fight to hold major polluters accountable for climate change.
RWE argued that the lawsuit is legally inadmissible and that it sets a dangerous precedent by holding individual emitters accountable for global climate change. It insists climate solutions should be addressed through state and international policies, not the courts.
Judges and experts from Germany visited Peru in 2022.
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