In western Germany, a case against energy company RWE could set a worldwide precedent for corporate responsibility and climate damages. What exactly is at stake?

LIMA, Peru — A landmark climate lawsuit opens in a German court Monday, as a Peruvian farmer sues a German energy giant over the threat to his home from a mountain lake overflowing with glacier meltwater.

Saul Luciano Lliuya, a Peruvian farmer, has taken legal action against German energy firm RWE for contributing to climate change, which he argues endangers his hometown through melting glaciers. A landmark ruling in the ongoing case could hold RWE accountable for past emissions and fund climate adaptation.