A GERMAN court started hearing a Peruvian farmer’s lawsuit against energy company RWE today, which argues global warming fuelled by the firm’s historical greenhouse gas emissions ultimately poses a risk to his home.

Experts say the case at Hamm state court, western Germany, could set a significant precedent in the fight to hold major polluters accountable for climate change.

Saul Luciano Lliuya’s case argues that the company’s historical greenhouse gas emissions have fuelled global warming, accelerating glacial melt above his home town of Huaraz, Peru. As a result Lake Palcacocha has swelled to dangerous levels, risking catastrophic flooding.