Shocking aerial images captured in January 2021 show just how badly the coastal village of Happisburgh has been hit by erosion. This area of the Norfolk coastline loses on average seven feet (2m) of land to the sea each year, and the heavy rainfall of the 2020-2021 winter caused huge chunks of the cliff to fall off.

Yet, while flooding can be controlled, it’s harder to turn the tide on erosion. In the UK, sea levels have risen by six inches (15cm) since 1900, but sea level rise could reach four feet (1.12m) globally by 2100 if nothing is done to curb emissions.

Then and now: the alarming effects of coastal erosion in the UK

Shocking photos of climate change taken from the skies