Berlin/Karachi, 28 October 2025 – 43 farmers from Sindh, Pakistan, one of the regions hardest hit by the devastating 2022 floods, are taking on German Carbon Majors RWE and Heidelberg Materials. Through a formal notice sent today, the claimants are demanding financial compensation for losses and damages.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan ranks 1st among the top ten countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2022. During the summer of that year, extreme rains flooded one third of the country over a period of months, causing economic losses of up to USD 30 billion. At least 1700 people were killed and 33 million displaced, as critical infrastructure was destroyed and crops were wiped out. The Sindh region bore the heaviest toll, with many districts remaining underwater for over a year.
Scientists found that human-induced climate change, to which RWE and Heidelberg Materials have contributed significantly, has not only increased the likelihood of the excessive rainfall in 2022, but also its intensity.
Abdul Hafeez Khoso, a 42-year-old farmer from Jacobabad, whose fields were devastated by the 2022 floods, wiping out his rice and wheat crops for two consecutive seasons, is one of the claimants. He says: “This is about justice. How is it fair or just that we pay the price for a climate crisis that we did not cause, while big corporations in the Global North are still able to make huge profits? Those who are responsible for the damage must pay for the damage.”
The case of Abdul and the 42 farmers is the latest in a wave of legal actions aimed at securing justice for communities affected by the climate crisis, but the first in which affected people are taking on German polluters. In May, a German court delivered a landmark, precedent-setting verdict in the high-profile Saul vs RWE case, ruling that major emitters can be held liable for climate-related damages abroad. On 23 October, a group of 67 Filipinos took action against Shell in the UK to demand compensation for homes, livelihoods, and lives lost during the 2021 Typhoon Odette.
“RWE and Heidelberg have known for decades that their polluting practices would bring harm to people, yet they have refused to act,” says Clara Gonzales from ECCHR. “The climate crisis is no longer a theoretical threat, it is a present reality. Diplomacy may have failed affected communities, but the rule of law should be on their side. It is time to draw a clear line: Carbon Majors should not escape the ‘polluter pays’ principle and financial liability.”
“Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the political disaster has turned into a climate disaster. Entire regions of the world are still experiencing substantial destruction to their livelihoods. Those least responsible for the climate crisis are struggling to survive, as we can see in Pakistan”, says Karin Zennig from medico international. “RWE and Heidelberg Materials must be held accountable for their harmful practices. It is time for climate justice.” The NGO has been working with affected farmers in Sindh since 2010.
RWE and Heidelberg Materials have been served with a formal notice, marking the first step in the legal process. The total damage for the 43 claimants is estimated at around 1 million euros: they are asking RWE und Heidelberg Materials to acknowledge their liability and to pay their fair share. The lawsuit is expected to be filed before the civil court in December unless the companies acknowledge their liability.
Notes to editor
- More about this case can be found here.
- More Information on ECCHR work on climate justice can be found here.
- The case is being supported by the human rights organizations medico international and ECCHR and the Pakistani organizations HANDS Welfare Foundation and the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF). The claimants are being represented by the lawyers Roda Verheyen and John Peters.
