On December 19, 2025, a group of Pakistani farmers stood before the press at the Karachi Press Club, their faces etched with the hardship of recent years, to announce a bold legal move that could reverberate far beyond their flood-ravaged fields. These farmers—hailing from Larkana, Jacobabad, and Dadu—revealed plans to file a climate justice claim in a German court against two of the world’s largest carbon emitters, RWE and Heidelberg Materials. Their aim: to seek compensation for the devastation wrought by the catastrophic 2022 floods, a disaster they argue was fueled by climate change and made worse by emissions from major corporations far from Pakistan’s borders.
The 2022 floods were no ordinary event. In the words of Dr. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed of the HANDS Welfare Foundation, “the 2022 floods were not a natural disaster alone but a consequence of global warming.” According to Dawn, the deluge decimated crops, swept away livestock, and left thousands of rural families homeless and destitute. The economic and emotional toll has lingered long after the floodwaters receded, with many communities still struggling to rebuild their lives.
What makes the farmers’ case particularly striking is their country’s minimal role in causing the climate crisis. Pakistan contributes less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet, as the farmers and their supporters pointed out, it has suffered disproportionate losses from climate-induced extreme weather events. “Our farmers are paying the price for emissions they did not cause,” Dr. Ahmed emphasized at the press conference, as reported by Daily Times.
The legal action, to be filed under German civil law, will be guided by the internationally recognized “polluter pays” principle. This doctrine argues that those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it and remedying the damage it causes. The farmers’ claim seeks compensation for the climate impacts that contributed to the 2022 floods, holding RWE and Heidelberg Materials—both identified among the world’s highest carbon dioxide emitters—accountable for their historical emissions.
According to the organizers, a total of 43 farmers from Sindh province are expected to join the case. Their demand is simple yet profound: recognition of the losses they have endured and meaningful reparations for the destruction of their livelihoods. “Historically high-emitting corporations must be held accountable for climate-related losses and damages,” the farmers declared, underscoring a sentiment that is gaining traction worldwide.
National Trade Union Federation leader Nasir Mansoor, present at the press conference, framed the issue in even broader terms. “Climate change is not only an environmental issue but also a livelihood and labour rights concern,” he said, as reported by Daily Times. Mansoor noted that repeated climate shocks are undermining rural employment and food security, deepening inequality, and pushing working communities further into poverty. The absence of climate-resilient policies, he argued, is compounding these challenges, leaving the most vulnerable to bear the brunt of global warming’s impacts.
For the farmers themselves, the struggle is deeply personal. Hamza Khan Kalhoro, Abdul Hafeez Khoso, and Abdul Khaliq Leghari—the claimants from Larkana, Jacobabad, and Dadu—spoke of the long-term economic distress their families and neighbors have faced since the floods. Their message was clear: while Pakistan’s contribution to the climate crisis is negligible, its people are suffering disproportionately, and justice demands that those responsible for the lion’s share of emissions step up to address the harm.
Backing the farmers’ efforts are several organizations with experience in climate litigation. Speaking from Germany, constitutional lawyer Miriam Saage-Maab of the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) explained the broader significance of the case. “The case aims to amplify the voices of flood-affected communities in international legal forums,” she said, according to Dawn. The hope is that by bringing their claim to a German court, the farmers can shine a spotlight on the broader issue of climate accountability and inspire similar actions elsewhere.
Karin Zennig of Medico International, another German organization supporting the case, highlighted the growing use of climate litigation as a tool for justice. “Climate litigation is increasingly used worldwide to seek accountability for climate harm,” Zennig noted. She added that such legal actions are helping to bridge the gap between climate science, human rights, and justice—an intersection that has become increasingly important as the impacts of global warming intensify.
Indeed, climate litigation has gained momentum in recent years as communities and activists seek new avenues to hold major polluters accountable. From the Netherlands to the Philippines, courts have begun to grapple with the complex questions of responsibility, causation, and redress in the context of climate change. The Pakistani farmers’ case—if successful—could set a precedent for other vulnerable communities seeking justice for climate-related losses.
The press conference in Karachi was not just a legal announcement but also a call to the international community. The speakers urged governments, corporations, and civil society to recognize climate-induced losses and damages as matters of justice and responsibility. Zehra Khan of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), also present at the event, underscored the need for solidarity and support from all quarters.
It’s worth noting that the legal claim is not without its challenges. Proving direct causation between the emissions of specific companies and the damages suffered by the farmers will require robust scientific evidence and legal arguments. However, the case is emblematic of a broader shift in the global conversation about climate justice—one that increasingly recognizes the moral and ethical dimensions of climate change, alongside the scientific and economic ones.
As the world watches, the farmers from Sindh are stepping onto the international stage, determined to make their voices heard. Their case against RWE and Heidelberg Materials is more than a bid for compensation; it’s a demand for recognition, accountability, and a fairer distribution of the burdens imposed by a warming planet. Whether or not their claim succeeds in court, it has already succeeded in drawing attention to the plight of those on the frontlines of climate change—and to the urgent need for global action.
For now, the farmers and their supporters await the next steps in the German legal system, hopeful that their struggle will inspire others and help pave the way for a more just and equitable response to the climate crisis.
