Kevin lost his home to coastal erosion. He sued the government and lost Climate

Kevin Jordan lost his home in Hemsby, a small village in Norfolk County, East England. itching Coastal. In December, local authorities recommended demolishing the house due to the risk of it falling into the North Sea. Earlier this year, he joined disability rights activist Doug Polley in a lawsuit against the British government.

The complainants argued that the government’s plans are being modified to suit current and future impacts Climate changeKnown as National Adaptation Plan (NAP3), inadequate and illegal. Court of Justice (Royal High court)In London, his request was rejected, several British media reported this Friday.

The plan, endorsed by the UK’s previous Conservative government led by Prime Minister Rushdie Sunak (who resigned in July), includes measures to mitigate the effects of climate change between 2023 and 2028. The United Kingdom and other countries are “leading global efforts to manage climate change”, you can read Official document.

National Adaptation Plan

Judge Martin Chamberlain rejected the activists’ request, commenting in a statement that even if the previous government had not carried out a proper equality impact assessment, the result would be “very much” the same if the request was made again.

The judge also rejected the network’s other claims Friends of the Earth To challenge the legitimacy of British strategy, including its failure to mitigate the impact of climate change on people with disabilities.

The Friends of the Earth, The Network of Environmental Organizations, which provides legal support for environmental cases, provided legal guidance on the case and is already upholding the decision regardless of the outcome. “The National Adaptation Program is hopelessly inadequate and failing everyone”. The organization’s legal team will reassess the details of the case and consider appealing the decision.

The decision follows a court hearing in July, in which Jordan and Doug Pauly argued that they were each harmed. Environmental degradation.

In a statement, Friends of the Earth Legal Department Director Will Rundle said, “It Investing in a robust and comprehensive adaptation plan that protects us from increasingly severe storms, floods and heat waves is necessary and urgent. Climate Change”.

Britain’s Ministry for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has yet to respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Jordan and Bali: Faces of the Effects of Climate Change

Doug Polley, a disability rights activist, suffers from a number of health problems exacerbated by high temperatures and heat waves in the UK during the summer, he says.

In 2022, the United Kingdom recorded its hottest summer ever, exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, according to the Met Office, the country’s weather service, usually associated with cloudy skies and steady rain.

Kevin Jordan, who is disabled, lost his home just before Christmas. Coastal erosion, directly linked to rising sea levels due to melting ice and climate change, threatens thousands of coastal towns that are now more prone to flooding and the destruction of their homes.

Both of these men claimed that NAP3 was inadequate and overreaching Human rights to lifehousing and property, and those discriminated against because of their vulnerable situation.

Kevin Jordan said in response to the verdict The Guardian The verdict of the court is very disappointing. “Without strong government policies to protect us, more and more people will face the horror of seeing their homes, lives and livelihoods threatened by the growing impacts of climate change.” Climate It’s constantly changing,” he opined.

“It’s too bad that communities like mine have lost so much of the foreseeable consequences due to lack of foresight and planning. Climate decline. I don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through. But unless the government strengthens its adaptation programs, there is no doubt that many will pass,” said Kevin Jordan. The Guardian.

Doug Pauly also commented on the decision to the British newspaper. “Climate disruption threatens us all, but people with disabilities are disproportionately affected and are always among those who bear the brunt when disaster strikes. Lack of adequate protection The National Adaptation Plan means that as the effects of climate change worsen, more people with disabilities will suffer and die,” the complainant adds.

“Climate Grandparents” and the next step for climate justice

The move follows a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in April. “Climate Grandma”, as she is known around the world, is suing the Swiss government to fight climate change, and specifically the heat waves that have endangered the health of thousands of people. And they won in a historic court decision.

The “climate grandmother” complained to the ECtHR of violations of the right to life and respect for private life under Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), respectively. They accused Switzerland of making no effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse effect And the Swiss courts did not respond to their legal claims. Parliament accused the court of “judicial activism” and rejected the court’s ruling that Switzerland must do more to change this reality. However, the Verin Climazeniorinnen Schweiss – “climate grandmothers” – only those who have received a favorable decision from the ECtHR.

Switzerland is legally obliged to comply with the 1974 judgment of the Court of Human Rights, despite some initial objections, and the administration will make a report to the Council of Ministers as required by the Court on its enforcement actions and public position. According to the European Enforcement Network, nearly half of the Court’s major rulings over the past decade are still pending full enforcement, an average of more than six years.

Portuguese effort

In 2020, six young Portuguese accused 32 countries of climate inaction. Six young men from Leiria and Almada came together in 2017 after the devastating fires in Petroko Grande and Maso, and with the support of the Global Action Legal Network (GLAN), a non-profit association that provided legal support from the beginning of the process, 27 European Union countries and the United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, Norway and Turkey sued – Ukraine was also included in the process, but was removed after the Russian invasion in 2022.

They asked the ECtHR to recognize the violation of certain rights enshrined in the European Charter of Human Rights as a result of the lack of action against climate change and the degradation of the planet. In April this year, the court ruled that the case against Portugal and the remaining 31 countries was inadmissible. Caterina Motta, one of the young people involved, assured PÚBLICO that “it will not end here” and that after years of work, the court has reached a valid conclusion to the climate fight.

These efforts, regardless of the outcome, allowed European citizens to understand that living in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is theirs and a right that all countries must fulfill.