Islanders press ahead with legal action against Holcim

Residents of the Indonesian island of Pulau Pari are pressing ahead with their legal action against Holcim, intending to hold the Swiss company liable for pollution and the impact of climate change affecting the island. According to the Financial Times, the island’s 1500 residents argue that they are at serious risk of losing their livelihoods as a result of rising sea levels and flooding.

Their case demands that Holcim pays 0.42 per cent of the cost of damages already incurred and impending, along with new flood protection measures. The claim, which is based on a study by the Climate Accountability Institute, states that Holcim has contributed 0.42 per cent of the global fossil fuel and cement emissions emitted into the atmosphere since 1751.

It mirrors a similar case brought by a Peruvian farmer against German energy supplier RWE. The farmer sought damages from RWE for both historical carbon and methane emissions, and the payment of flood defences to protect his local town, according to the Financial Times, citing a causal link between pollution by RWE and the climate-related destruction he was suffering.