Residents of Pulau Pari, an Indonesian island threatened by rising sea levels, are suing cement giant Holcim over its carbon dioxide emissions, a Swiss charity said on Tuesday.

"Holcim... bears a significant share of the responsibility for the climate crisis as well as for the situation on... Pari," Yvan Maillard Ardenti, climate expert at Swiss Church Aid (HEKS), said on the charity's website.

The complaint was lodged on Monday with a conciliation authority in Zug, Switzerland, where Holcim's headquarters are located.

The four plaintiffs told German TV channel RTL on Monday they were seeking compensation from Holcim for damage already caused to their island by climate change, money for flood defences and a rapid reduction in the company's carbon emissions.

"Holcim is globally the leading manufacturer of cement, the basic material for concrete, and one of the 50 biggest CO2 emitters out of all companies worldwide," HEKS said...

Holcim, which merged with France's Lafarge in 2015, declined to comment on the legal case but said it "takes climate action very seriously".

"This is the first time that a Swiss company will be held legally accountable for its role in climate change," HEKS said...

"We significantly reduced our footprint over the last decade and will cut it further by 2030," Holcim told AFP...