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A court in Germany has rejected a lawsuit brought by a Peruvian farmer against German energy giant RWE in a long-awaited decision.
Saúl Luciano Lliuya had argued that the firm’s global emissions contributed to the melting of glaciers in Peru – threatening his hometown of Huaraz with flooding.
He was seeking €17,000 (£14,250) in compensation – money he said he would use to pay for a flood defence project to protect the city.
However, the higher regional court in the German city of Hamm on Wednesday blocked the case from proceeding further and ruled out any appeals, putting an end to Mr Lliuya’s 10-year legal battle.
RWE said it was not active in Peru and questioned why it was singled out.
It also pointed to its plans to phase out its coal-fired power plants and become carbon neutral by 2040.
In their ruling on Wednesday, judges deemed that the flood risk to the property of Mr Lliuya was not high enough for the case to proceed.
However, in what climate change groups have hailed as a win, they did say that energy companies could be held responsible for the costs caused by their carbon emissions.
While the sum demanded by Mr Lliuya was very low, the case has become a cause celebre for climate change activists, who hope that it will set a precedent for holding powerful firms to account.
The 44-year-old mountain guide and farmer said he had brought the case because he had seen first-hand how rising
