Overview

• Judges in Zug are considering only procedural admissibility and jurisdiction, with a decision possible immediately or in the coming weeks or months.
• Four residents of Pari Island seek 3,600 Swiss francs each and Holcim financing for local protections such as mangrove planting and breakwaters.
• The plaintiffs also demand a 43% cut in Holcim’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, exceeding the company’s plan to reduce by 17.5%.
• Holcim argues that decisions on who may emit how much CO2 fall to lawmakers rather than civil courts.
• This first climate suit against a cement company draws on a recent German ruling recognizing global corporate responsibility in principle, as campaigners highlight cement’s large CO2 footprint and a study attributing about 0.42% of historic industrial emissions to Holcim.