Government sued as owner ‘lost everything’ to erosion
A HOMEOWNER who lost his house to coastal erosion is suing the Government, in a landmark case following Tuesday’s European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) climate change ruling.
Kevin Jordan, 70, a former marine engineer, is one of two Britons who claim their human rights have been violated by a failure to protect them.
The chances of his ground-breaking case succeeding were boosted when the ECHR said governments have a duty to protect people from climate change.
Mr Jordan’s judicial review is to be considered by the High Court this summer where judges will take account of previous legal precedents such as the ECHR ruling.
It is likely to intensify the political row after MPS accused the ECHR of usurping the role of elected politicians in determining climate change policies.
Mr Jordan said he “lost everything” as a result of his chalet bungalow in Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, being demolished last December.
It was pulled down by the local council after global warming saw the land protecting it from the sea erode at seven times the predicted rate in the 14 years that he lived there. “I am now what you call a climate refugee. I lost my home with no compensation,” said Mr Jordan, who spent his career designing and developing underwater vehicles.
Lawyers for Friends of the Earth, which is backing his case, claim the Government’s failure to protect Mr Jordan from the sea is a breach of section 6 of the Human Rights Act, which covers “unlawful” policies by a public authority that damage people’s rights.
The Climate Change Committee, which advises the government, has estimated more than 500,000 properties are at risk of collapse or flooding, rising to more than 1.5 million by the 2080s because of rising sea levels.
A second person taking legal action for a breach of his human rights is Doug Paulley, who has health conditions which have been being worsened by the higher summer temperatures, causing him distress and putting him at increased risk of serious harm.