A group of Pakistani farmers hit hard by the 2022 floods has begun legal action against two of Germany’s biggest polluters, German energy firm RWE and cement giant Heidelberg, The Guardian reported.
Lawyers for 43 farmers from Sindh have issued formal letters to both companies, signalling their intention to sue later this year.
The farmers say their land was submerged for more than a year after extreme rains in 2022 flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,700 people, displacing 33 million and causing up to $30bn in economic losses.
Sindh was among the worst-affected regions, and the farmers say they lost at least two rice and wheat harvests.
They estimate damages at about €1 million and want the companies to acknowledge responsibility and provide compensation.
If that does not happen, they say they will file a case in December.
According to The Guardian, new data from the Climate Accountability Institute shows RWE is linked to 0.68% of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions since 1965, while Heidelberg is tied to at least 0.12%.
“Those who cause the damage should also pay for it,” claimant Abdul Hafeez Khoso told The Guardian.
“We have contributed the least to the climate crisis, yet we are losing our homes and livelihoods while corporations in the wealthy north continue to profit.”
RWE said it could not comment without further information, while Heidelberg confirmed receiving the legal notice and said it was reviewing it.
The case is part of a growing wave of cross-border climate litigation.
Last week, typhoon survivors in the Philippines announced a lawsuit against Shell in a UK court, and in September, a Swiss court heard a climate-damages case brought by residents of Pulau Pari against Swiss cement company Holcim, The Guardian said.