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Peruvian farmer takes German energy giant RWE to court over melting glaciers
Alandmark climate case brought by a Peruvian farmer against energy giant RWE resumes today (17 March) at the Higher Regional Court in Hamm, Germany.
Saul Luciano Lliuya is a Quechua-speaking farmer and mountain guide from Peru’s Ancash region. The 44-year-old believes that RWE, as one of the world’s top historic greenhouse gas emitters, should share in the cost of protecting his hometown, Huaraz, from a swollen glacial lake at risk of overflowing due to melting snow and ice.
The hearings will determine what evidence will be permissible in the final trial, which will rule on whether RWE – which has never operated in Peru – can be held liable for damages.
RWE denies legal responsibility, arguing that climate change is a global issue caused by many contributors.
What is the case about?
Lliuya first challenged RWE after a 2013 Carbon Majors Study found the company responsible for 0.5 per cent of climate change since industrialisation began in the 1850s.
He is asking for the company to pay for about 0.5 per cent of the cost of protecting Huaraz from the imminent risk of flooding and overflow from Lake Palcacocha. That amount has been tallied at around €17,000.
“What I am asking is for the company to take responsibility for part of the construction costs, such as a dike in this case,” he told reporters in Lima in early March before departing for Germany.
In 2015, Lliuya filed a suit against the company that was later dismissed by a court in Essen. In 2017, a higher court in Hamm admitted an appeal.
Following pandemic-induced delays, the initial hearings are now taking place.
What does it mean for global corporations?
The case is ground-breaking in every way.
RWE insists it has always complied with government guidelines on greenhouse gasemissions and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2040. Yet its historical contribution to a warming planethas put it in the crosshairs, raising questions about corporate accountability for climate change and cross-border legal responsibilities.
“Never before has a case of climate justice reached an evidentiary stage,” Andrea Tang, a lawyer for Germanwatch, the environmental NGO supporting Lliuya, said in Lima.
She added that the case “would set a huge precedent for the future of climate justice.”
With more than 40 climate damages cases ongoing worldwide, according to not-for-profit research group Zero Carbon Analytics, Lliuya’s case has major precedent setting potential.
How a Peruvian farmer captured global headlines
Before the case even reached this stage, it had already commanded global attention.
For one, Lliuya had never left Peru before he decided to take RWE to court. His efforts also brought European experts to Peru.
Following diplomatic talks, judges from Germany visited Huaraz and Lake Palcacocha – about 4,500 metres above sea level in the Andes – in 2022. Surrounded by dozens of journalists and documentary film teams, they assessed the potential risk to the village.
While Lliuya has won the legal battle to have his case tried, it is yet to be seen if that visit also won the judges over to his side of the scientific argument.
Trending
Kidnappers Took Loan With My Phone – Victim Recounts Ordeal
A woman has shared a disturbing account of her abduction in Abuja, detailing how kidnappers allegedly exploited her personal information during captivity.
According to her, she was kidnapped while going home in a bus and kept blindfolded for two days as her captors demanded a ransom of ₦5 million from her family and friends.
She further alleged that while she was still in captivity, the abductors accessed her phone and used it to download a loan application.
With her ATM card and identification documents in her possession at the time, they reportedly secured a loan of ₦148,000 without her knowledge.
The victim said she remained unaware of the transaction throughout her ordeal, as she was blindfolded and focused on pleading for her life.
She revealed that when she later found out and wrote to the loan app, they insisted she must pay off the loan.
“I was kidnapped in a bus in Abuja. They blindfolded my eyes for two days. Even after asking for ransom of 5 million from my family and friends, they took a loan. They downloaded a loan app on my phone, and I always carry my ATM card and my ID cards in my bag, so they used it to up the loan app and took a loan of 148 thousand Naira. I didn’t even know about the loan all the time I was there cause I was blindfolded and just begging for my life….” she partly said.
Trending
Man Ends His Marriage After Finding Photographs Of His Wife With Another Man While Browsing Google Maps
A husband was left shocked and reportedly had to end his marriage after discovering photos of his wife with another man while using Google Maps.
The man was using Google Maps to plan a route before setting off on a journey when he noticed an image of his wife sitting on a bench, stroking the hair of another man whose head rested in her lap.
Captured by a Google camera vehicle in Lima, the Peruvian capital, the stunned husband said the photograph grabbed his attention because the woman pictured seemed to be wearing identical clothing to pieces his wife owned.
Although the photo dated back to 2013, the furious husband challenged his wife with proof of her previous betrayal.

The pair, whose identities remain anonymous, subsequently divorced after the woman confessed to having an affair.
In a twist of fate, she was photographed with her lover on a bench near the city’s Puente de los Suspiros de Barranco (Bridge of Sighs of the Ravine).
The husband recently posted the photographs on Facebook where they sparked considerable reaction amongst users.
One social media commenter, San Pateste, said: “What a small world it is… It would have been enough if she said to her husband that she did not love him any more.”
Guillermo Sanchez added: “Out of 100 women, 90 per cent are not loyal, the rest are loyal and only have one eye (hahaha) or are immortal (hahaha).”
Trending
Explosion injures soldier, NSCDC personnel in Imo
An Improvised Explosive Device, IED, explosion injured a soldier and a personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.
A counter-insurgency and security expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, made this disclosure on X.
Makama disclosed that the incident occurred at about 8:35am on March 18 during a joint operation by troops of 34 Artillery Brigade in the Orsu general area.
According to the source, the personnel were operating around a suspected hideout of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, when they stepped on a concealed pressure-activated IED.
It noted that the device detonated, leaving both operatives injured.
“They were immediately administered first aid and subsequently evacuated to a medical facility for further treatment.
“Operations are ongoing in the area to dismantle criminal hideouts and enhance safety,” the source said.
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