Climate: The fight of 4 Indonesians from the island of Pari against the world's largest cement manufacturer

A new David versus Goliath trial is brewing. After a Peruvian farmer's lawsuit against German energy company RWE—finally dismissed by the Hamm Court of Appeal in May—another European multinational is in the hot seat over its climate impact.

Four residents of the small island of Para, Indonesia, are suing Swiss group Holcim , the world's largest cement company, accusing it of being responsible for the damage caused to their land. The plaintiffs believe the multinational must assume its responsibilities for the repercussions of a disrupted climate. A preliminary hearing to determine the admissibility of their complaint will be held this Wednesday, September 3, at the Cantonal Court of Zug.

The legal proceedings began in early 2023, initiated by a woman, Asmania, and three men, Bobby, Arif, and Edi. According to them, flooding affecting their island, located about 40 kilometers north of Jakarta, has increased in frequency and intensity in recent years, damaging homes and jeopardizing their livelihoods.

"The climate crisis is the biggest threat to my life," Arif Pujianto, one of the plaintiffs, told AFP after arriving in Switzerland for the hearing. The beach manager estimates that flooding has reduced the stretch of sand on the beach where he works by 9 meters since 2021, driving away tourists who are essential to his income. Rising tides also regularly reach his bamboo house, rotting the walls and contaminating his well. The fifty-year-old is thus forced to buy drinking water for his family at a high price.

Arif Pujianto decided to file a lawsuit against Holcim to avoid "losing his beach, his island, and also his life." He and the three other plaintiffs are demanding compensation from the cement company of 3,600 Swiss francs (approximately €3,840) for climate damages and financial support for adaptation measures needed to protect Para Island, such as planting mangrove trees and building breakwaters.

The four islanders are also calling for a 43% reduction in Holcim's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, rather than the 17.5% the company has planned. Achieving this target would bring the group into compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement , according to the Swiss Protestant Aid (EPER), an NGO that supports the islanders.

Holcim, which sold its Indonesian operations to a local cement manufacturer in 2019, nevertheless claims to be "deeply committed to climate action" , while maintaining in a statement that "the question of who is allowed to emit how much CO2" should be "a matter for the legislature and not a civil court" .

While litigation involving companies that consume large amounts of fossil fuels has increased in recent years, this is the first time that such a lawsuit has targeted a cement manufacturer. It is also the first time that Indonesians have sued a foreign company for climate-related damages.

This case could be a landmark one for developing country plaintiffs taking on industrial groups. In Germany, although the court dismissed the Peruvian farmer's claim , the judges upheld the principle of global liability for energy companies for damages related to climate change, regardless of where they occur.