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Article

3 Dec 2015

Author:
Kristen C. French, The Verge (USA)

Peruvian farmer files lawsuit against RWE in Germany over contribution to climate change

“A Peruvian farmer is suing an energy giant over climate change”, 2 Dec 2015

…In a legal challenge well timed to coincide with the Paris climate talks…Saul Luciano Lliuya, filed a lawsuit last Tuesday against German energy giant RWE for its contribution to climate change.  It is the first such claim in Europe, and it could set an important legal precedent at a time when the world’s first climate change refugees are just beginning to emerge…He wants the company to help pay for engineering projects that will prevent the lake, called Palcacocha, from overflowing its banks…The sum Lliuya is demanding is…0.47 percent of the estimated cost of engineering projects that would protect against flooding of Lake Palcacocha…RWE is responsible for 0.47 percent of all global warming emissions…Lliuya first filed a letter of complaint in March, but after the company rejected his request for compensation, he decided to go ahead with a lawsuit...RWE said the company "sees no legal basis" for the claim…In the US, similar claims brought against energy companies have been rejected…A couple of recent climate change claims have had success in the courts, but in both cases the plaintiffs aimed to force governments to act rather than to retrieve damages from corporations…

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