Why companies could soon pay for climate change

07/13/22 • 18 min

A few years ago a Peruvian farmer filed a lawsuit against a German utility company thousands of miles away. The reason? A glacier is melting near his hometown. If it melts enough, it could cause a flood that may catastrophically damage his city. He says that over years the company's pollution has contributed to climate change, and because of this, it should help pay for protections against the potential flood.

In this week’s episode, we’ll tell the story of a David vs. Goliath battle. How one man is taking on one of the world’s biggest polluters in a landmark case that could one day force companies to pay for damage they’ve done to the environment.

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For further reading:

Who pays for climate change? The Peruvian suing a German utility

The Climate Game: Can you reach net zero by 2050?

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On Twitter, follow Camilla Hodgson (@CamillaHodgson)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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For further reading:

Who pays for climate change? The Peruvian suing a German utility

The Climate Game: Can you reach net zero by 2050?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On Twitter, follow Camilla Hodgson (@CamillaHodgson)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

How Spacs went splat

Spacs, or special purpose acquisition companies, were all the rage at the start of the pandemic. These shell companies raise cash by listing on the stock market, and then seek a merger with a private company. This created a novel way for companies to list on the stock market without having to go through the traditional initial public offering process.

Now, Spacs are floundering. The FT’s Ortenca Aliaj talks with guest host Jess Smith about how the Spac investment boom collided with rising interest rates and regulatory threats, and ultimately went bust.

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For further reading:

Spac boom dies as wary investors retreat

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On Twitter, follow Ortenca Aliaj (@OrtencaAl)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Are big corporate profits to blame for inflation?

Greedflation. Price gouging. Pandemic profiteering. What happens when turning a profit is considered a bad thing? In this week’s episode, the FT’s US business editor Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson explains how a new message around corporate profits is resonating with the American public and causing headaches for executives.

Clip courtesy of Bloomberg

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For further reading:

US companies face rising battle to fend off vilification over ‘excess’ profits

Joe Biden blasts Chevron chief as ‘sensitive’ after fuel-price criticism

The war on ‘woke capitalism’

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On Twitter, follow Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson (@Edgecliffe) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.