Lessons for Global South as a sinking Indonesian island sues climate polluters

Since late August, Indonesia has been gripped by demonstrations rooted in long-standing structural pressures faced by its people. The outrage is fuelled by economic hardship, a faltering economy, and a government largely turning a blind eye to people's struggles. Amid this unrest, at the beginning of this month, another confrontation emerged, far from the political spotlight.

A crucial preliminary court hearing took place in a lawsuit filed by four Pulau Pari residents against Holcim, the Swiss cement giant, according to The Guardian. The residents of this four-kilometre-long island, which is just about three metres above sea level and has already lost 11 percent of its land underwater, filed the civil lawsuit at a Swiss court in July 2022, demanding climate justice for the company's role in the climate crisis. This is backed by Indonesian and international organisations, including Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) and European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and saw its main hearing on September 3 at the Cantonal Court of Zug.

The massive impact of carbon emissions on rising sea levels has placed Pulau Pari at risk of being wiped off the map. The plaintiffs feel it is unfair to suffer the consequences of global warming without contributing to pollution. Thus, they demand proportional compensation—urgent emission cuts of at least 43 percent by 2030 and contributions to climate adaptation measures.

The lawsuit marks a historic moment in climate accountability. It is the first time that a company of this size is being held accountable in its own country for alleged climate-related devastation. On July 23, the International Court of Justice, the world's highest court, ruled that people harmed by climate change could be entitled to "full reparation." Interestingly, the Pulau Pari residents filed their case even before the ICJ ruling, reflecting a growing recognition that climate justice is a legitimate claim.

According to the Climate Accountability Institute, 180 companies have produced the majority of global CO₂ emissions since the pre-industrial era. Holcim is among those that released more than seven billion tonnes of CO₂, more than double Switzerland's cumulative emissions between 1950 and 2021.

Yet, are these emitters doing enough to reduce their carbon footprint? The impacts of climate change we face today suggest otherwise. The melting ice, rising sea levels, and increasing temperatures are no longer a distant reality. It is high time climate victims took the lead to demand justice and immediate action—and that's what the Pari island residents are doing. Home to fishing families and small tourism operators, Pulau Pari's residents have long depended on the ocean for their livelihoods. Their homes and their core livelihood component—boats—are now at the mercy of tidal floods. Precious, limited sources of fresh drinking water are being contaminated and made unusable by the sea. Moreover, the island's mangroves and coral reefs, natural protectors of the coastal region, are steadily wearing away. If current trends linger, much of the island might disappear entirely by 2050.

These sufferings are similar to the climate vulnerabilities facing Bangladesh. Almost two-thirds of our land sits less than 15 feet above sea level, with about a third of the population living along the coastal area. It is predicted that one in every seven people could be forced from their homes by climate change by 2050. The country ranks ninth on the 2024 World Risk Index for vulnerability to extreme weather, although its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is only 0.3 percent (2022 data). Between 2000 and 2019, Bangladesh encountered 185 extreme weather events that resulted in economic losses of $3.72 billion. According to a 2018 report of USAID, approximately 90 million live in "high climate exposure" areas, with 53 million facing "very high" exposure.

Similarly, despite their minimal contribution to global emissions, coastal communities across the Global South endure the burden of climate change the most—losing their homes, livelihoods, and even their lives. On the other hand, the corporations most responsible for these emissions continue to profit. Although rapid and decisive emission cuts are essential, when it comes to taking responsibility—whether of corporations, governments, consumers, or makers of technologies—it continues to be shifted from one to another.

Although the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius is crucial for the survival of low-lying islands and vulnerable communities, the current emission curve and rising temperature indicate that the world is far from the right track.

On September 3 in Zug, no decision was reached about the Pulau Pari case. When the court will announce its decision is still uncertain. However, the case has opened a door for other vulnerable communities in the Global South to seek justice, holding immense potential to inspire climate victims to fight back. It underscores the need to hold polluters accountable—those who profit while remaining untouchable as the world suffers, and particularly as vulnerable communities are pushed to the brink.

What lies ahead is a whole new discussion, but this case has surely created a path where victims are not defenceless, and corporate giants are not untouchable. The Pulau Pari case thus serves as a wake-up call for countries like Bangladesh to seek climate justice.

Saudia Afrin is an environmentalist and journalist turned development practitioner.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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