Seaside village risks being lost at sea
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2019
- (4 Jul 2019) LEAD IN:
A coastal village in the north of Wales faces being one of the first settlements to be "decommissioned" and evacuated due to climate change.
The villagers who live there could become Britain's first climate refugees due to rising sea levels.
STORY-LINE:
The first houses in the Welsh village of Fairbourne were built on a flood plane more than 100 years ago as a holiday destination.
The village has since become a popular abode for retirees and holidaymakers looking to enjoy the tranquillity of nature and escape the realities and stresses of everyday life.
But the reality of climate change has brought the peace and quiet enjoyed by the local residents to a crashing halt.
Several Welsh government reports have said that Fairbourne is potentially facing an insurmountable threat from the rising sea level and should be "decommissioned" by 2045 and the process should be completed by 2055.
Recent news reports about this issue have increased confusion and concern amongst the community.
Stuart Eves, a campsite owner and community council vice-chair, has lived in the village for more than 40 years.
While feeding his chickens at his home, he says he has not noticed a rise in tide levels on the beach and is sceptical of the report.
"You walk down to the beach and you look at the sea and it still comes up to the stones like it used to and still does," he says.
"You can't see a millimetre, two millimetres rise in the sea level a year. It is just an impossibility."
He questions why Gwynedd council is now saying the village will need to be evacuated by 2055.
"Come and show us your figures that you're using to say the sea level is going to rise that quick in that amount of time," he adds.
At a glance, the shoreline looks several metres away from the sea wall - even at high tide- but with tidal changes and weather events this could easily change.
With the village of Fairborne deemed as a high-risk flood area, the property prices in the area have plummeted since the report was published.
Eves says, "house sales have been destroyed."
Houses, "lost 40 percent of their value virtually overnight. It became virtually impossible to get a mortgage."
"Young people in the village, if they haven't got the cash to be able to buy a property, they couldn't buy one in - where they want to live," he explains.
And it is not only the future generations of Fairborne residents being affected by the flurry of panic.
Angela Thomason is a pensioner and clerk to the Fairbourne community council.
She says "Coastal wise nobody is panicking like Gwynedd council has panicked the residents of Fairbourne into what is supposedly going to happen in 25, 30, 35 year's time," she says.
"They've put us in a very uncomfortable awkward and devastating position."
Some residents feel unfairly targeted by the council's reliance on a report.
"We feel uncomfortable being called the first climate refugee village. What we want is answers now. We want to know if the seawall breaches before 2045 we want to know what's going to happen to us. Where, where Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government and Westminster are going to put us?"
The Gwynedd Council says the report has placed it in uncharted territory in dealing with communities affected by rising the sea levels.
It has been liaising with residents of Fairbourne about the threats they face and offering counselling, regular town meetings and emotional support.
Catrin Wager, a Gwynedd Councillor, says there are currently no funds available, nor any legislation in place that will help residents of Fairbourne to resettle elsewhere.
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Like a sailor
it's just a book and
THE ALARMISTS WITH THEIR SO CALLED "FAKE CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX " ARE AT IT AGAIN ! "GLOBAL WARMING" IS THE BIGGEST HOAX OF THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY ! MEGA-MEGA-MEGA IN 2020