The Climate Case: Saúl vs. RWE

Saúl Luciano Lliuya and the inhabitants of Huaraz, a city in the Peruvian Andes, live in danger. For years, glacial melting due to climate change has caused the water level of nearby Lake Palcacocha to rise. Climate change is increasing the risk of large ice blocks breaking off the glaciers and falling into the lake. A tidal wave would have devastating consequences for the area’s people and would cause metre-high flooding in Huaraz’s lower-lying urban areas.

Luciano Lliuya has decided to take the initiative: “The polluters of climate change should finally be held accountable.”

With his lawyer’s support, he filed a lawsuit against the German energy company RWE on 24 November 2015. RWE, as one of Europe’s largest CO2 emitters, shares responsibility for climate change and the threat of the lake’s flooding that would affect up to 50,000 people.

credits

Production: Germanwatch e.V.
Camera and sound: Gustavo Rios Ruiz
Editing and postproduction: Jan-Holger Hennies
Peru/Germany 2022, Full HD, 10 minutes

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