![]() A biscuit for some and a barrier for others is unjust, and such injustice will grow with rising sea levels.”Ī Defra spokeswoman said: “We are spending more than £3.2bn over the course of this parliament on flood management and protection from coastal erosion – half a billion more than in the previous parliament.” The first year of this parliament had a high flood defence budget set by the previous government, which was subsequently cut by about a quarter by the coalition. “Yet Londoners could sleep easy protected by the Thames Barrier. ![]() “During last year’s tidal surge, the biggest since 1953, some people on the east coast were evacuated from their homes and given a biscuit in the church hall,” said Blunkell. “At the moment, the government is dumping these costs on individual households and vulnerable communities.” “Compensating coastal communities affected by climate change is simply a matter of social justice,” said Friends of the Earth’s Guy Shrubsole. The EA and Defra added: “There is no statutory recourse to compensation for property lost or damaged due to coastal change.” “It is not feasible or affordable to protect every household now or in the long term, especially given the likely consequences of sea level rise,” said the EA and Defra, in a recent response to enquiries from Friends of the Earth. But the newly revealed EA analysis puts the number at 295, and at 430 in the extreme case. The central estimate for properties lost even with continued coastal defence is 7,000, but the EA analysis found there is a 5% chance this could rise to almost 9,000 if the weather was particularly extreme.Ĭurrently, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) states that “there are more than 200 homes at risk of complete loss to coastal erosion in the next 20 years”. Without this, the number of properties lost within 100 years would increase tenfold to over 74,000. The EA analysis assumes that funding for shoreline management plans – a mix of holding the line and managed retreat – is maintained. A recent EA document stated: “It is widely accepted that will lead to an acceleration of coastal erosion due to more aggressive marine conditions.” Looking 100 years ahead, six local authorities are expected to lose more than 200 homes each: Great Yarmouth (293), Southampton (280), Cornwall (273), North Norfolk (237), East Riding of Yorkshire (204) and Scarborough (203).ĭuck said the east coast from Yorkshire down to Essex is “soft and vulnerable” and that the stronger storms and rising sea level being driven by climate change will increase their vulnerability. Cornwall also tops the list for homes lost in 50 years, with 132. The local authority in which most homes are expected to be lost in the next 20 years is Cornwall, with 76. ![]() But it is not just about money, often people have lived in places for generations and there is a lot of history and memories.” There are just not the resources to do it and keep on doing it. It’s wrong that the costs of climate change should be borne by the most vulnerable.”Ĭoastal erosion expert Professor Rob Duck, at Dundee University, said: “It is a very difficult issue, but we can’t defend everything at all costs. “If government won’t defend all people living on the coast, then it must make sure that they can move elsewhere, and that means compensating them for their loss. “Last winter’s storms saw the eastern seaboard overwhelmed,” said coastal community campaigner Chris Blunkell, who lives on the North Kent coast at Whitstable. Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss has been on the East Coast today to see recovery one year after the storm surge /u5Wkp6xRjL- Defra UK December 5, 2014
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