Britain as an island nation is particularly susceptible to coastal erosion. Several communities in one part of Britain, along the north coast of Norfolk, have already seen their homes and businesses washed into the sea.

So can anything be done to combat the action of oceans? And what will the coastlines of world look like in 2050? For One Planet, Mark Whittaker reports.

Listen to the programme on the BBC World Service website

Thanks to a team of underwater archaeologists from the University of Southampton, we should soon be able to sense the bustle of medieval Dunwich. At the current rate it won’t be too long before the archaeologists are called to do the same for Norwich. In April the Government’s nature quango, Natural England, revealed that it is thinking of letting the sea reclaim 25 square miles, and six villages, of Norfolk.

The story of Dunwich, or rather a misreading of the story, is frequently cited as justification for the Government’s policy of abandoning sea defences – or “coastal realignment”, as it is euphemistically described. Look at Dunwich, goes the argument, to see the futility of trying to hold back the waves.

Read the full piece by guest contributor Ross Clark on the Times website