by Hamm, Germany (AP) – On Monday, a German court heard the case of a Peruvian farmer against the great energy companies RWE, a lawsuit in which it was argued that the global warming, which is heated by the company’s historical greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately represents a risk of his house.
Experts say that the case before the State Court in Hamm in West Germany could represent a considerable precedent in the fight in order to be accountable for climate change.
Saúl Luciano Lliuya’s lawsuit against RWE argues that the company’s historical greenhouse gas emissions have accelerated the global warming and the accelerated glacier melt over his hometown Huaraz, Peru. As a result, the Palcacocochase swelled to dangerous level and endangered the community with the risk of catastrophic floods.
RWE, which has never been operated in Peru, denies legal responsibility and argues that climate change is a global topic caused by many participants.
The mountains, glaciers and lakes “give us water, give us life,” said Lliuya outside the court building and stood in front of photos of glaciers in the form of mountains. But “the glaciers melt, disappear piece by piece. Some lakes, lakes like Palcacocha – it is a risk for me, for more than 50,000 people who live in the endangered zone. “
“We waited 10 years for this day on this decisive day,” he said of fans. “I am very excited; I hope everything is going well. “
The main attorney in the complaint, Roda Verheyen, said she was “calm but hopeful”. She said, “There is no time to be lost because the glaciers melt every day.”
RWE “is still one of the biggest emitters of CO2 across Europe,” said Verheyen. “This is just a very first step – a trampoline for further cases of this kind” that could aim at other emitter.
RWE argues that the lawsuit is legally inadmissible and that it represents a dangerous precedent by blaming individual emitters for global climate change. It insists that climate protection solutions should be treated by state and international politics and not by the courts.
Judges and experts from Germany visited Peru in 2022, and the court is expected to be considered on Monday and Wednesday expert reports on the possible risks for the Lliuya house. It was not immediately clear whether his conclusions will be announced on the case this week.
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