Indonesia: Residents of the Indonesian island of Pulau Pari have filed a complaint against the Swiss cement tycoon Holcim, seeking compensation for climate harm according to the NGO supporting them. As per the Swiss Church Aid (HEKS), a non-governmental organization that promotes climate justice, the island, which is in danger of submerging, flooded five times last year.

The complaint asks Holcim to fund flood protection measures on the scenic island north of Jakarta as well as compensate for damage already done to the island. Additionally, they urge that the Swiss organisation drastically cut its carbon dioxide emissions.

“For the first time, a Swiss company must answer for its role in contributing to climate change in court,” HEKS cited in a statement.

Following Holcim’s 2015 merger with the French industrial firm Lafarge, three men and one woman from the island submitted a conciliation application in Zug, the Swiss canton where Holcim’s headquarters are located. As a result, the four island residents brought a legal lawsuit against Holcim before the Zug Cantonal Court on behalf of the whole island.

Holcim’s sold its Indonesian operations to the regional cement company Semen Indonesia in 2019. In a statement, Holcim stated that its strategy was centred on addressing climate change. In recent years, lawsuits relating to climate change have increased against governments, fossil fuel industries, and an expanding number of other businesses.

According to a study published last year by professionals from the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, 475 of the roughly 2,000 legal cases that have been brought since 1986 have been initiated since the start of this year.

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