FIESCH, Switzerland, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A court in

Switzerland will decide on Wednesday whether to hear a legal

complaint against Swiss giant Holcim, one of the

world's biggest cement makers, that alleges the company is doing

too little to cut carbon emissions and so contributing to global

warming.

Four residents of the Indonesian island of Pari, which has

been repeatedly flooded as warmer temperatures drive up sea

levels, submitted a legal complaint in January 2023 to the

cantonal court in Zug, Switzerland.

For the suit to proceed, the court must first declare itself

competent and the complaint admissible. The next stage would

address the case's merits.

If successful, the case would be the first of its kind to

pursue a Swiss company for its role in contributing to global

warming, according to the non-profit Swiss Church Aid

(HEKS/EPER), which is supporting the case.

NGOs backing the complainants said they had singled out

Holcim because it was one of the major carbon dioxide emitters

worldwide and the largest so-called "carbon major" in

Switzerland.

A Holcim spokesperson told Reuters the company is deeply

committed to taking action on climate and has reduced

CO2 emissions from its operations by more than 50% since 2015.

Ibu Asmania, a mother of three from Pari, said she has lost

income from fish aquaculture because warming sea temperatures

had killed marine life in the area.

"I'm definitely worried, because the situation now has

worsened for our island after it was predicted that by 2050 Pari

Island would be under water," she told Reuters during a visit to

Aletsch Glacier in Valais, Switzerland, ahead of the hearing.

Arif Pujianto, a worker at a tourist beach on Pari,

described coastal erosion and flooding affecting his home and

workshop, with sea water contaminating his potable water.

The plaintiffs want 3,600 Swiss francs ($4,500) in

compensation to repair their homes and build stone walls and

mangroves to shield their island from the sea.

Cement production is responsible for about 7% of global CO2

emissions, according to the Global Cement and Concrete

Association.

"Holcim has the broadest range of decarbonization

technologies in the industry," the Holcim spokesperson said,

highlighting its use of low-emission cement formulations and

replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.

($1 = 0.8019 Swiss francs)