For years, Pakistan has experienced the destructive force of extreme weather events due to climate change: floods, droughts and heatwaves have destroyed crops, infrastructure and livelihoods. In the summer of 2022, the country suffered its worst climate-related disaster on record: heavy, persistent rainfall flooded approximately one third of the country. Millions of people lost their livelihoods, and roughly 1,700 people died. Some districts remained inundated with water for more than a year. Damages in Pakistan are estimated at US $30 billion. Yet, even amid disaster, there is room for justice. 

Here you can find the official campaign website: www.climatecostcase.org

43 farmers from three villages in the Sindh region of Pakistan that were particularly affected by flooding are demanding compensation from RWE and Heidelberg Materials. On 28 October, they sent a letter of claim to both companies, which is the first step towards a lawsuit. This is consistent with the “polluter pays” principle, which recognizes that those responsible should bear the costs of environmental and climate change-induced harms. The total damage for the 43 claimants is estimated at around 1 million euros. 

RWE and Heidelberg Materials rank among the world’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters – and are among the two biggest in Germany. Their business practices stand as emblematic of an economic model that has contributed unabated to the climate crisis for decades. 

The claimants are organized farmers from affected communities situated in one of the global climate “hot spots” in the Sindh region, which is extremely vulnerable to both climate-change induced floods and extreme heat. The Sindh region suffered two-thirds of all flood damage in 2022. In their quest for justice, they are supported by ECCHR and medico international, which has been working closely with the Pakistani organizations NTUF and HANDS for over 10 years. 

ECCHR supports this case because we believe that true climate justice requires affected communities to have their voices and perspectives heard in legal and political decision-making forums, and that the approaches adopted must be community-based. 

This case seeks to address the already existing brutal consequences of climate change and the need for financial compensation for losses and damages. The widespread devastation in Pakistan shows that the climate crisis is not merely a future threat, but very much a present reality – one that hits hardest those who have historically contributed the least to it. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan ranks 1st among the top ten countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2022,  even though historically the country has contributed less than 1% of global GHG emissions.

The 2022 floods wrought destruction on a scale rarely ever seen, exposing how climate-induced losses from floods, heatwaves, storms and droughts are already ruining livelihoods – especially in the Global South. Yet, industrialized countries and transnational corporations – those most responsible – continue to deny responsibility, while remaining major emitters of dangerous greenhouse gases. The Pakistan climate costs case is a call for justice. 

As of today, such harms have not yet been addressed elsewhere. Although the establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund in 2022 through international climate diplomacy signaled progress, affected communities in Pakistan and beyond still await meaningful relief, as negotiations have thus far failed to make the fund operational. As global climate diplomacy too often neglects the voices of affected people, ECCHR supports this case for compensation as a matter of access to justice for affected communities. Beside legal actions, there is an urgent need for an effective global framework for climate justice that calls polluters to account – especially the Carbon Majors.