Access to justice in corporate climate litigation for people living abroad

This blog for Human Rights Here written by PhD researcher, Clara Valeria Kammeringer, discusses the 28 May 2025 decision of the Higher Regional Court of Hamm, Germany which established that civil liability for climate change-induced harms anywhere in the world is possible and dismantled several commonly advanced arguments why this would not be the case. This is a crucial step towards access to justice for all who suffer from the consequences of the climate crisis, regardless of where they are in the world.

Introduction to the blog

”In its final decision of 28 May 2025, the Higher Regional Court of Hamm, Germany (Oberlandesgericht Hamm) in the case of Saúl Luciano Lliuya against German energy producer RWE AG established that civil liability for climate change-induced harms anywhere in the world is possible and dismantled several commonly advanced arguments why this would not be the case. Despite following Lliuya’s argument on principle, the Higher Regional Court did not deem his property to be sufficiently at risk of being damaged by climate-induced events, turning the case into a ‘success without victory’. The following piece introduces the first and second instance decision and relates them to the broader debate on access to justice in climate litigation.”