Because the Swiss building materials giant Holcim has emitted enormous amounts of CO₂, Indonesians affected by climate change are demanding compensation. German companies are also increasingly being sued. But are the courts really responsible?
from
Thomas Hummel and Wolfgang Janisch, Karlsruhe
Arif Pujianto from the Indonesian island of Pari explains what it means when the sea level rises: “When there are storms, our flat island is increasingly flooded.” The 52-year-old mechanic is sitting on the beach on Wednesday afternoon with his compatriots Mustaqfirin, Edi Mulyono and Asmania in front of a laptop, the three of them report via video chat about the effects of climate change on them. Their drinking water is salty, trees are dying, they are afraid, they say. They don’t know what the future of their children could look like – that’s why they have now filed a lawsuit. Namely at the Cantonal Court of Zug in Switzerland against the cement manufacturer Holcim.