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May 30, 2025

German Court Ruling Opens Path to Hold Polluters Accountable for Climate Crisis
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A court in Germany ruled against a Peruvian farmer who was seeking
redress from the energy company RWE for its role in the melting of
Andean glaciers, which has put the farmer and his community in Huaraz at
risk of flooding. But climate activists are celebrating the ruling as a
major victory, as the German court also found major polluters can be
held responsible for the consequences of climate change, setting up a
possible precedent as similar cases play out in other countries. This is
German lawyer Roda Verheyen, who represented Saśl Luciano Lliuya in the
landmark case.

Roda Verheyen: "But what is important is the legal obligation of
companies like RWE has been established here today. The legal obligation
to deal with the consequences of their actions and to bear
responsibility for them is something that has never before been
established anywhere in the world in this form."



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