Pakistani Farmers Sue German Firms RWE and Heidelberg Materials Over 2022 Flood Damages
39 farmers from Pakistan's southern Sindh province are suing German energy firm RWE and cement maker Heidelberg Materials in a German court. The lawsuit alleges that the companies' climate-warming emissions contributed to the 'apocalyptic' flooding in 2022, which devastated their crops, livestock, and homes. The farmers, including Abdul Hafeez Khoso, claim that the floods, which affected a third of Pakistan, killed 1,700 people, and impacted 30 million, were intensified by climate change caused by these industrial emissions. The companies are being targeted not for direct operations in Pakistan, but for their overall contribution to global emissions. This legal action is supported by Pakistani and European organizations, aiming to secure compensation and advance climate justice efforts. Both RWE and Heidelberg Materials deny wrongdoing, stating their operations comply with German laws and that such claims are unfounded.
