Court rejects Peruvian farmer’s lawsuit against RWE

Essen district court has rejected a lawsuit brought by Peruvian farmer Saúl Lliuya’s against German utility RWE, for contributing to environmental damage in his hometown of Huarez, news agency Reuters reports. Lliuya demanded 17,000 euros in compensation to finance safety measures taken against the threat posed to his home by a melting glacier. RWE’s carbon emissions were partly responsible for the threat, according to Lliuya’s claim. RWE rejected the claim, saying a single emitter could not be held accountable for global developments such as climate change. German environmental organisation Germanwatch, which supported Lliuya, said while the court saw no “legal causality” justifying the claim, it conceded there could be a “natural scientific causality.” According to Germanwatch, Lliuya’s lawyer is considering filing an appeal with the higher regional court at Hamm. 

Read the Reuters’ article in German here and Germanwatch’s press release in German here.