Peruvian farmer Saúl Luciano Lliuya recently lost his landmark lawsuit against German energy giant RWE, which he filed to hold the company accountable for its historic greenhouse gas emissions that contributed to glacier melting and increased flood risks in his hometown of Huaraz, Peru. Lliuya sought financial support—about $17,500—from RWE to help fund flood protection measures. The German court acknowledged the potential for corporate liability in climate change but ultimately ruled that the specific flood risk to Lliuya’s property was too small (an estimated 1% chance over the next 30 years) to justify compensation. The ruling stops short of awarding damages but highlights the complexities of attributing precise climate impacts to individual polluters.
Despite the loss, climate advocates and legal experts view the case as a significant victory for climate accountability. The court recognized for the first time that corporations can bear responsibility for their contribution to climate change—even when the impacts occur thousands of miles away. This acknowledgment breaks new ground by affirming that civil courts can handle cross-border climate lawsuits and that companies might be liable proportionally based on their emissions share. The decision is expected to encourage more climate litigation worldwide, strengthening the legal framework for holding fossil fuel companies accountable and pushing for justice for communities facing climate-related harms. More