A German court took the case a Peruvian farmer against the German company Rwe. The energy giant has its own reproaches Historical responsibility in climate change. According to a report published by Greenpeace in March 2021, holds the European CO2 emission recordwith ben 89 million tons. Now the global climate – according to NGO lawyers German clock – could pay for the consequences of its very small environmental policy irreparable damage to numerous ecosystems. This is also underneath Placacocha Lake on the Cordillera Blanca: swollen by melting glaciers, overrun risks and overwhelm the city Huaraz and its 50,000 inhabitants. One of them, Saul Luciano LliuyaThe 41-year-old is therefore demanding compensation of 17,000 euros. This is the first environmental cause to attempt this compensation for social injustices, caused by emissions from private companies. And it could impact numerous initiatives against them Giants of the fossil fuels in the world and in Italy. “Justice often makes up for the shortcomings of politics,” he comments Sergio CannavoHead of the Legal Action Center Legambiente Lombardy and an expert in legal action in the field of pollution and the environment – Besides resolving some specific situations, lawsuits like the one against Rwe, even if we are not personally involved, can be an incentive to address certain problems “also for governments.
The inspection of the German judges – Huaraz – in northern Peru – has suffered in recent decades numerous floods. The ridges of tropical glaciers detach and increase the level of the lakes in the area. However, if the waters of the Palcacocha came out of the banks, the impact would be much greater destructive: would trigger landslides and floods that would risk complete obliteration of the city To the. The early warning system put in place by local authorities may not be enough. In recent years it has swollen 34 times due to climate change, according to a peer-reviewed study. At the last inspection, i German judges from Hamm – who accepted the case in 2017 – confirmed Rwe’s responsibility in accelerating global temperature rise and the resulting extreme events. In 2019 alone, its plants emitted almost twice the average of other electricity companies (792 g/KWh), according to Greenpeace. The German company is responsible for 0.47% of all historical earth emissions. “There were other similar causes, since France and the Netherlands did not have adequate plans to combat the presence of climate-changing gases in the atmosphere,” explains Legambiente’s Sergio Cannavò. For real Amsterdam 2020 it was committed by the supreme court 25% reduction in emissions compared to 1990. However, the one against Rwe is the first a acknowledge private individuals a real role in climate change. In the future – he says Roda Verheyenthe lawyer of Saúl Luciano Lliuya, could be an important precedent for the lawsuit against other giants such as Shell, Bp. Or even the Italian Eni.
“Impulse for politics” – “In our country, the first legislative initiative on climate protection was pushed by a group of lawyers, but it has not yet been announced,” explains Cannavò. However, the chances of success compared to international cases like that of Lliuya are lower: “The laws of other states make it class action against polluting companies much easier – he says – in Italy, even if big federations like Legambiente or WWF are involved, the Battles against multinationals are like David versus Goliath. The economic and power-political imbalance between the two opposing subjects is not recognized and balanced. So – he concludes – we are forced to weigh up the causes carefully so as not to expose ourselves to enormous risks”. At the moment the only success in Italy was the condemnation of EniuntilCompetition and market surveillance, a fine of 5 million euros. The company was accused of misleading advertising and greenwashing for the “ENIdiesel+” commercial. Such provisions to large companies “are tricky – says Cannavò – but cases like this one or the one against Rwe can lead to it Climate issues for the attention of policy makers. The only ones capable of setting limits” and offsetting the disproportionate effects of climate change.