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Indonesian residents file climate case against top cement maker
GENEVA: Several Indonesian residents have submitted a legal complaint to a Swiss court against the world’s top cement maker Holcim, which they claim is doing “too little” to cut carbon emissions, a statement by civil society groups backing the complainants showed on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Zug-based company said climate change was a “top priority for Holcim at the heart of our strategy”.
“We do not believe that court cases focused on single companies are an effective mechanism to tackle the global complexity of climate action.”
The civil case was first initiated in July last year by four residents of the Indonesian island of Pari, which has been repeatedly flooded as global warming has driven up sea levels.
This was followed by informal negotiations in October which failed, prompting the formal submission of the complaint to the Zug court on Jan 30, according to Lorenz Kummer from Swiss Church Aid.
The case is the first filing against a Swiss company and demands “proportional compensation” from Holcim, the statement said.
NGOs backing the complainants said they had singled out Holcim because the company was one of the major carbon dioxide emitters worldwide and the largest so-called “carbon major” in Switzerland.
Holcim’s website said it is committed to decarbonising its building and updated its climate targets last year
GENEVA: Several Indonesian residents have submitted a legal complaint to a Swiss court against the world’s top cement maker Holcim, which they claim is doing “too little” to cut carbon emissions, a statement by civil society groups backing the complainants showed on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Zug-based company said climate change was a “top priority for Holcim at the heart of our strategy”.
“We do not believe that court cases focused on single companies are an effective mechanism to tackle the global complexity of climate action.”
The civil case was first initiated in July last year by four residents of the Indonesian island of Pari, which has been repeatedly flooded as global warming has driven up sea levels.
This was followed by informal negotiations in October which failed, prompting the formal submission of the complaint to the Zug court on Jan 30, according to Lorenz Kummer from Swiss Church Aid.
The case is the first filing against a Swiss company and demands “proportional compensation” from Holcim, the statement said.
NGOs backing the complainants said they had singled out Holcim because the company was one of the major carbon dioxide emitters worldwide and the largest so-called “carbon major” in Switzerland.
Holcim’s website said it is committed to decarbonising its building and updated its climate targets last year
