THE LEGAL BATTLE TO HOLD CORPORATIONS TO ACCOUNT.

Huaraz/Bonn. The climate lawsuit of the Peruvian Andean farmer and mountain guide Saúl Luciano Lliuya against the energy company RWE has entered the decisive phase six and a half years after the lawsuit was filed: After a long delay, especially due to the Corona pandemic, a site visit took place this week in the Andean city of Huaraz. Judges of the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Hamm (Germany), legal advisors and experts travelled to Peru to examine whether the plaintiff’s house is threatened by a possible flood wave from the glacier lake Palcacocha above the city. The entire danger zone in Huaraz actually covers an area where around 50,000 people live.
The plaintiff is pleased that the proceedings, which have attracted worldwide attention, are now picking up speed again: “I hope that the judges and also the representatives of RWE have realised through their visit the ever-increasing risk we are exposed to here. The question for us is not whether a flood wave is imminent, but when and how badly it will hit us. I look forward to hearing the experts’ assessment.” Climate change in the Andes has caused the glacial lake to grow 34 times in volume since 1970. According to earlier studies, it is increasingly likely that large pieces of ice and rock will fall into the lake in the face of thawing permafrost and melting glaciers. A resulting flood wave would have devastating consequences for the plaintiff’s family and the residents of Huaraz, according to the plaintiff’s lawyers. The case sets a precedent for whether, in the face of the climate crisis, the world’s largest emitters must proportionately fund protection and compensation for risks and damages to people affected by the consequences.  Research that can attribute damages to global climate change has made great progress in recent years.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *