German judges visit Peru glacial lake in unprecedented climate crisis lawsuit

Saúl Luciano Lliuya has sued Germany’s largest electricity provider for the costs of preventing damage from an outburst flood from Lake Palcacocha. Photograph: Luka Gonzales/AFP/Getty Images

In a global first for climate breakdown litigation, judges from Germany have visited Peru to determine the level of damage caused by Europe’s largest emitter in a case that could set a precedent for legal claims over human-caused global heating.

Judges and court-appointed experts visited a glacial lake in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca mountain range this week to determine whether Germany’s largest electricity provider, RWE, is partially liable for the rise in greenhouse gases that could trigger a devastating flood.