Climate campaigners warn Norwich Station could be 'under water' by 2040

Norwich Friends of the Earth were warning commuters about the forecast, this morning

Norwich Friends of the Earth at Norwich Station, today
Author: Tom ClabonPublished 4th Nov 2021

Climate campaigners in Norfolk are warning commuters in Norwich that their station may be permanently closed by 2040.

Norwich Friends of Earth were at Norwich Station this morning, armed with petitions, placards and flags to raise awareness about the worrying forecasts from the group, Climate Central.

Dr Sarah Eglington, the groups co-ordinator says COP26 might be on going, but many are still unaware of the threats posed by Climate Change:

"There is still a lot of people that don't realise that this is an issue that's going to affect us in Norfolk. We are a low-lying county, by 2040, quite a lot of Norfolk might be underwater. There is going to a lot more flood events, severe weather and droughts. It's not just an abstract concept that's going to affect people in places like Bangladesh".

She went on to tell us that she and her fellow campaigners have had a mixed response from commuters so far:

"Most people see it as an opportunity to help them get their voice heard. They want the council to declare a climate emergency and help protect their future. There has been a few, where you have a few interesting conversations with the climate deniers and those who want to blame it all on China. But they are missing the point, the UK has been one of the biggest emitters in the whole of the world, since the industrial revolution".

She concluded by saying they need the public's help, to make the County Council's environmental policy more detailed:

"We've got about 3,500 signatures for our petition, requesting Norfolk County Council declare a climate emergency. But the more we get the better, because we really want them to make that political statement".

"There is absolutely no urgency to the council's current plan, there's no measurable targets. What they need to do is put a really good and robust climate action plan in place. They need to set some targets, set a base-lines and say when they're going to achieve those targets by. They need a really detailed list of actual actions they can do, to meet those targets".

We approached Norfolk County Council for comment. They told us that they remain "very confident" in their current environmental strategy, that aims to make the county carbon neutral by 2030.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.