Residents of Pulau Pari, an Indonesian island threatened by rising sea levels, are suing cement giant Holcim over its carbon emissions, a Swiss charity said on Tuesday.
“Holcim… bears a significant part of the responsibility for the climate crisis and for the situation… Pari,” said Yvan Maillard Ardenti, climate expert at Swiss Church Aid (HEKS), on the aid organization’s website.
The complaint was filed on Monday with an arbitration board in Zug, Switzerland, where Holcim’s headquarters are located.
The four plaintiffs told German television broadcaster RTL on Monday that they are seeking compensation from Holcim for damage their island has already suffered as a result of climate change, money for flood protection and a rapid reduction in the company’s carbon emissions.
“Holcim is the world’s leading manufacturer of cement, the raw material for concrete, and one of the 50 largest CO2 emitters of all companies worldwide,” said HEKS.
This is consistent with the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s 2021 Greenhouse Gas Pollutant Index, which ranks LafargeHolcim 47th among the top 100 emitters of climate-warming gases.
Holcim, which merged with France’s Lafarge in 2015, declined to comment on the legal case when asked by AFP, but said it “takes climate protection very seriously”.
“This is the first time that a Swiss company has been held legally accountable for its role in climate change,” said HEKS.
The Swiss NGO supports the islanders’ campaign together with the Berlin human rights organization ECCHR and the Indonesian environmental initiative WALHI.
They point out that the countries of the South are bearing the brunt of a climate emergency largely caused by the rich countries of the North.
Large parts of Pari, which depends on fishing and tourism, would likely be under seawater in 30 years, HEKS said.
Holcim sold its Indonesian operations to local cement producer Semen Indonesia in 2019.
However, it emitted more than seven billion tons of CO2 emissions worldwide between 1950 and 2021, according to a new study by the US-based Climate Accountability Institute.
According to HEKS, this corresponds to more than twice the emissions in Switzerland since 1750.
“We have significantly reduced our footprint over the past decade and will continue to reduce it through 2030,” Holcim told AFP.
“We are focused on helping our customers build more with less to improve living standards for all while reducing emissions.”
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