Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, which is destroying the livelihoods of the people on Indonesia’s Pari Island. The Swiss cement corporation Holcim bears a substantial degree of responsibility for this due to its high CO2-emissions. Four residents are now demanding justice on behalf of the island: they have filed a lawsuit against Holcim in Switzerland. They are seeking compensation for damages already sustained and are urging the Carbon Major to reduce its CO2 emissions rapidly. They are also demanding that Holcim assume some of the cost of measures to protect Pari Island from rising sea levels. One important procedural issue has already been resolved: in October 2023, the Zug Cantonal Court granted the plaintiffs free legal aid.
This marks the first time that a Swiss corporation could be held legally accountable for its role in climate change. HEKS/EPER, the Indonesian environmental organization WALHI, and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) are supporting the “Call for Climate Justice” made by the people of Pari in their quest for greater climate justice.
Fight for justice
The Indonesian island of Pari is threatened with extinction due to climate change. Now its inhabitants are fighting back.
Concrete – the climate killer
Concrete is the world's most important building material and at the same time its most ``destructive material``. Indeed, the manufacture of cement, the base material for concrete, accounts for 8 per cent of all CO2 emissions worldwide.
Courageous commitment
Arif, Asmania, Bobby and Edi, four residents of Pari Island, are taking Holcim to court. Read their personal stories.