The Scotsman: More than 100,000 Scottish homes and businesses are at risk of being flooded because of climate change ministers have warned. The Scottish Government today published a detailed national map showing the areas most in danger of being deluged by rising water levels. The document reveals that almost 12,000 properties in Glasgow and around 8,000 in Edinburgh are in officially designated flood zones.
The announcement comes on the eve of Scotland's first national summit on flooding, which aims to prevent any repeat north of the Border of the dreadful scenes witnessed in England and Wales in June. A report launched to coincide with the publication of the map reveals that almost 4% of Scotland's 2.5 million properties are in danger of being flooded.
…The map was compiled by a team of expert Scottish Government analysts for Richard Lochhead, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment. He said: “Scotland cannot ignore the threat which climate change brings in increasing the occurrence of wet, stormy weather. "We have each seen images flash across our television screens of people's homes and livelihoods, quite literally being swept away by floods…”
…Friends of the Earth Scotland's chief executive, Duncan McLaren, was alarmed by the Government's findings and has urged it to take decisive action. "A combination of climate change and poor planning decisions means a staggering 100,000 Scottish homes and businesses are in areas at risk of flooding," he said. "While ensuring flood management systems are up to the job is important, just as critical is stepping up Government action on tackling climate change. To truly begin to address the problem we first need to see annual cuts in Scotland's climate pollution."
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