- Is YOUR home at risk of coastal erosion? Email ryan.prosser@mailonline.co.uk
A man who claims to have been made a “climate refugee” is suing the government after his house fell into the sea.
Kevin Jordan, 70, said he had “lost everything” after sea erosion caused his home in Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, to be demolished by the council.
His case will be heard by the High Court this summer, along with that of his British colleague Doug Paulley, who says Britain’s hotter summer weather has worsened his health conditions and put him in danger.
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 marine erosion.
Up to 500,000 properties could be at risk of collapsing or flooding, with triple that number expected to be 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 older women by failing to act on climate change.
Ministers criticized the court ruling and insisted that decisions on the climate response should rest with elected politicians.
Jordan and Paulley are backed by Friends of the Earth, who say the government’s current provision for people negatively affected by climate change, for example by flooding and extreme heat, known as the National Adaptation Program (NAP), is insufficient.
Jordan, a self-proclaimed “climate warrior,” told the Telegraph that standing up to the government was “the most natural thing to do.”
In an article for the Meter Last December, Jordan said he felt “scared, anxious and angry” when police officers told him last November that his home was no longer safe to live in, after a storm left a nearby road atop a hill. cliff on the verge of collapse.
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 almost sold it three years ago before it fell through.
His “happy memories” of the picturesque sea views have been replaced by the sight of cars passing by his ground floor apartment, provided by the local authorities.
He said Hemby residents had been left “cut off and isolated” by both central and local government. The storms have left 12 homes in the area that had to be demolished over the last year.