Publication Details
Category Text Publication
Reference Category Book chapters
DOI 10.4337/9781035343188.00010
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Lliuya v RWE: introducing polluter pays via transnational climate litigation?
Title (Secondary) Climate change litigation cases in context
Author Dilling, O.; Schaller, R.L. ORCID logo
Publisher Cameron, C.; Galvão Ferreira, P.; Weyman, R.
Year 2026
Department UPR
Page From 51
Page To 73
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords Climate litigation; Private law; Transnational legal procedure; Causality; Polluter pays
Abstract
Rising greenhouse gas emissions, driven largely by industrialized nations and corporations, are accelerating climate change and disproportionately harming vulnerable communities. Saúl Lliuya v RWE AG is a landmark climate liability case that sought to hold the German energy company accountable for its 0.38% contribution to global emissions, linking them to glacial melt threatening Lliuya's Peruvian home. Though dismissed in 2025 due to insufficiently imminent risk, the Court affirmed that corporations could, in principle, face liability for transboundary climate damages under German law. This case highlights the potential of private law to enforce the polluter pays principle, bypassing traditional tort hurdles through innovative property-based claims. While unsuccessful, it sets a precedent for future climate litigation. Lliuya v RWE underscores the role of strategic lawsuits in driving corporate accountability and shaping climate governance where regulatory frameworks lag.
Dilling, O., Schaller, R.L. (2026):
Lliuya v RWE: introducing polluter pays via transnational climate litigation?
In: Cameron, C., Galvão Ferreira, P., Weyman, R. (eds.)
Climate change litigation cases in context
Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, p. 51 - 73
10.4337/9781035343188.00010