A coastal village named Hemsby in the county of Norfolk, England, suffers from coastal erosion caused by rising sea level as polar glaciers keep melting due to global warming.
Hemsby is a beautiful seaside resort that attracts tourists and provides a livelihood for local businesses. However, coastal erosion is destroying a number of homes and has become a pressing issue for the residents of the village.
Lance Martin spent nearly 100,000 pounds on his retirement home in Hemsby about five years ago. In 2021, his house was 40 meters from the cliff. This year, the cliff had eroded underfoot and the house was in danger. Finally, it was put forward three meters from the edge thanks to combined efforts of local villagers, saving the house from collapse.
Lance Martin's house on the cliff edge at Hemsby in Norfolk, England, March 11, 2023. /CFP
Local authorities have taken a number of measures, including temporarily closing beaches to keep tourists safe, laying rocks along the coast to slow down the rate of erosion and repairing damaged roads.
Also, the long-awaited plans for new coastal defenses in Hemsby were approved in March, but concerns remain about the funding of the project, according to local media.
The beach road is closed at Hemsby in Norfolk, England, March 11, 2023. /CFP
Last year was the UK's warmest year on record. The average annual temperature in 2022 – at 10.03 degree Celsius – was more than 10 degree Celsius for the first time, according to UK's Met Office National Climate Information Centre. Among four nations, England saw the highest average temperature at 10.94 degree Celsius in 2022.
According to the climate change advocacy group One Home, an estimated 80,000 UK homes could be lost to coastal erosion by the end of the century.
(Cover image via CFP)
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