Swiss court to consider climate case by Indonesia islanders against Holcim

By Denis Balibouse and Olivia Le Poidevin

FIESCH, Switzerland, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A court in Switzerland will decide on Wednesday whether to hear a legal complaint against Swiss giant Holcim HOLN.S, one of the world's biggest cement makers, that alleges the company is doing too little to cut carbon emissions and so contributing to global warming.

Four residents of the Indonesian island of Pari, which has been repeatedly flooded as warmer temperatures drive up sea levels, submitted a legal complaint in January 2023 to the cantonal court in Zug, Switzerland.

For the suit to proceed, the court must first declare itself competent and the complaint admissible. The next stage would address the case's merits.

If successful, the case would be the first of its kind to pursue a Swiss company for its role in contributing to global warming, according to the non-profit Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER), which is supporting the case.

NGOs backing the complainants said they had singled out Holcim because it was one of the major carbon dioxide emitters worldwide and the largest so-called "carbon major" in Switzerland.

A Holcim spokesperson told Reuters the company is deeply committed to taking action on climate and has reduced CO2 emissions from its operations by more than 50% since 2015.

Ibu Asmania, a mother of three from Pari, said she has lost income from fish aquaculture because warming sea temperatures had killed marine life in the area.

"I'm definitely worried, because the situation now has worsened for our island after it was predicted that by 2050 Pari Island would be under water," she told Reuters during a visit to Aletsch Glacier in Valais, Switzerland, ahead of the hearing.

Arif Pujianto, a worker at a tourist beach on Pari, described coastal erosion and flooding affecting his home and workshop, with sea water contaminating his potable water.

The plaintiffs want 3,600 Swiss francs ($4,500) in compensation to repair their homes and build stone walls and mangroves to shield their island from the sea.

Cement production is responsible for about 7% of global CO2 emissions, according to the Global Cement and Concrete Association.

"Holcim has the broadest range of decarbonization technologies in the industry," the Holcim spokesperson said, highlighting its use of low-emission cement formulations and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.

($1 = 0.8019 Swiss francs)