Swiss court to hear Pari islanders' climate change case against cement giant Holcim
Sea walls have already been installed on Pari Island to protect locals from rising sea levels. (Walhi/Entraide Protestante Suisse via Reuters handout)
In short:
A tiny Indonesian island battling climate change is set to take cement giant Holcim to court over its emissions.
Pari Island residents filed the case in Switzerland, where the company is headquartered, in 2023.
Holcim says it is committed to reaching net zero by 2050 and it intends to appeal against the court's decision to hear the case.
A Swiss court has decided to hear a landmark climate case pitting residents of a tiny Indonesian island being swallowed by rising sea levels against cement giant Holcim.
"For the first time ever in Switzerland, a court has admitted climate litigation brought against a large corporation," said a statement from NGOs including Swiss Church Aid (HEKS).
The case is part of a wider international movement seeking to hold major companies responsible for climate damage that imperils millions, especially in developing countries.
Oil companies have typically been the main target, but activists are hoping the Swiss case will highlight the role of the cement industry, which is responsible for about 8 per cent of annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by human activity.
Four residents of Pari Island filed the case in January 2023, demanding compensation from the world's largest cement firm and help to fund protection measures on the island.
Indonesian plaintiffs Asmania and Arif Pujianto journeyed to Zug earlier this year to hear the first of the court hearings. (AFP: Fabrice Coffrini)
Two of the islanders travelled to Switzerland for a September hearing at the court in Zug, where Holcim is headquartered, to determine whether it would consider the complaint.
"The court has now made its ruling: The complaint must be admitted in its entirety," the NGOs said.
Both sides received the ruling in advance of Monday's publication and they can still appeal against it.
Holcim said in a statement it had "anticipated this as a potential outcome and intend to appeal".
Floodwaters have inundated Pari Island in the past. (Walhi/Entraide Protestante Suisse via Reuters handout)
Environmentalists have said 11 per cent of the 42-hectare island of Pari has disappeared in recent years, and it could be completely under water by 2050.
One of the plaintiffs, Asmania, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, hailed Monday's decision.
"We are very pleased. This decision gives us the strength to continue our fight," she said in the NGO's statement.
Mangroves needed to protect island
Holcim has repeatedly stressed it is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, but has argued that politicians should decide how those goals are met.
"Holcim remains convinced that the courtroom is not the appropriate forum to address the global challenge of climate change," it said.
The NGOs said the Zug court had rejected that argument.
Holcim has not owned any cement plants in Indonesia since 2019, but the islanders argue the company shares the blame for rising temperatures and sea levels.
Environmentalists say Holcim ranks among the world's 100 biggest corporate CO2 emitters, and so bears significant responsibility for climate-related loss and damage.
The four plaintiffs are seeking 3,600 Swiss francs ($6,825) each from Holcim for damages and for protection measures such as planting mangroves and constructing breakwater barriers.
HEKS has said the amount is equivalent to 0.42 per cent of the actual costs — in line with estimates that Holcim is responsible for 0.42 per cent of global industrial CO2 emissions since 1750.
In addition, the plaintiffs are demanding a 43 per cent reduction in Holcim's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a 69 per cent reduction by 2040.
AFP