A German court on
Wednesday threw out a Peruvian farmer’s lawsuit seeking damages fro
m RWE for the German
energy utility’s alleged role in putting his home at risk through climate change.
The court said no ap
peal was possible in the decade-old case of farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya claiming
that RWE’s emissions have contributed to the melting of Andean glaciers and to
higher flood risk to his home.
Using data from the Carbon Majors database which tracks historic emi
ssions from major foss
il fuel producers, Lliuya has said that RWE is responsible for nearly 0
.5% of global man-made emissions since the industrial revolution and must
pay a proportional share of the costs needed to adapt to climate change.
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Read more: Peruvian
Farmer Takes Germany’s RWE to Court in Landmark Climate Case
For a $3.5 million flo
od defense project needed in his region, RWE’s share would be around $17
,500, according to Lliuya’s calculations.
The 44-year-old farm
er, whose family grows corn, wheat, barley and potatoes in a hilly region outside
Huaraz, has said he cho
se to sue RWE because it is one of the biggest polluters in Europe – rather than any particular company projects near his home.
RWE, which is phasing out its coal-fired power plants, has said a single emitte
r of carbon dioxide cannot be held responsible for global warming.
(Reporting by Elke Ahlswede and Riham Alkousaa; writing by Ludwig Burger; editing by Rachel More)