A groundbreaking climate lawsuit heads to trial in Germany next week, as Peruvian farmer Saúl Luciano Lliuya challenges German energy giant RWE

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- As a crucial climate lawsuit heads to trial in Germany next week, experts say the case brought by Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya against German energy giant RWE could set a significant precedent in the fight to hold major polluters accountable for climate change.

"This is one of the first cases of its kind -- a case brought by someone directly affected by climate change against a major greenhouse gas emitter -- that has made it all the way to trial," said Noah Walker-Crawford, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and an adviser to the non-profit Germanwatch, which has been advising Lliuya.