Man who lost his Norfolk home to North Sea coastal erosion sues the government as he claims he is a ‘climate refugee’
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A man who claims he has become a ‘climate refugee’ is suing the government after his house fell into the sea.
Kevin Jordan, 70, said he ‘lost everything’ after sea erosion saw his home in Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, demolished by the council.
His case will be heard by the High Court this summer, along with that of fellow countryman Doug Paulley, who says Britain’s hotter summer climate has worsened his health and put him in distress.
Mr Jordan claims the government’s failure to protect his home is a violation of his human rights.
Kevin Jordan, 70, (pictured) is one of two Britons suing the government for failing to act to protect people from the effects of climate change
His house (pictured) on the Norfolk coast had to be demolished by the council due to the risk of sea erosion
As many as 500,000 properties could be at risk of collapse or flooding, with three times that number at risk by 2080.
It comes after a landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday, which found that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of a group of around 2,500 elderly women by failing to act on climate change.
Ministers criticized the court’s ruling and insisted that decisions on climate response should be up to elected politicians.
Mr Jordan and Mr Paulley are supported by Friends of the Earth, who say the government’s current provision for people affected by climate change, for example floods and extreme heat, known as the National Adaptation Program (NAP), is insufficient are.
Jordan, a self-described “climate warrior,” told the Telegraph that taking on the government was the “natural thing” to do.
In an article for the Subway Last December, Mr Jordan said he felt “scared, anxious and angry” when he was told by police officers last November that his home was no longer safe to live in, after a storm destroyed a nearby clifftop road on the edge of collapse had left behind.
Mr Jordan, a former marine engineer, bought his house 14 years ago and said it left him with ‘happy memories’
The former marine engineer bought the house 14 years ago for £85,000 and was about to sell it three years ago before it went bankrupt.
His ‘happy memories’ of the picturesque sea view have now been replaced by the sight of cars driving past his ground floor apartment, provided by the council.
He said Hemby residents had been left ‘cut off and isolated’ by both central and local government. Storms forced the demolition of twelve homes in the area last year.