What Lliuya v. RWE Means for Climate Change Loss and Damage Claims

A plaintiff from the Global South. A carbon giant from the Global North. And a courtroom in a mid-sized German city. On May 28, 2025, the Higher Regional Court of Hamm issued its ruling in what has become Germany’s most high-profile climate lawsuit — Lliuya v. RWE. While the court dismissed the claim brought by Peruvian farmer Saúl Luciano Lliuya against RWE, the country’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, it nonetheless delivered groundbreaking findings on civil liability for major GHG polluters.