The elements of destruction in Scotland

Rob Edwards in HeraldScotland: Scotland is facing more than 100 serious threats to our way of life because of rising pollution that is affecting the climate, according to a series of new assessments by the Scottish Government. As well extreme weather including floods, snow, storms and droughts, there could be plagues of pests, ravaging diseases and toxic algal blooms. Power cuts, food shortages, wildfires, mass travel disruptions and wildlife extinctions are all forecast.

As if that were not enough, the list of potential problems caused by global warming also includes more sewer overflows, soil erosion and landslides. More deaths and illness are likely during heatwaves, while air and water pollution could worsen and fogs intensify.

Without any announcement, Scottish ministers have released four reports with the latest analysis of the multiple threats Scotland is facing, and moves to combat them. They are part of the government's climate adaptation programme, required under climate change legislation. Last week, the UN's World Meteorological Organisation warned of the escalating risk to human life of wild weather spurred on by climate change.

...The four reports list more than 130 major [e]ffects of climate change, the vast majority of them negative. Homes, roads, railway lines, power stations and sub-stations are all at significant risk of flooding, the reports say.

The worst case scenarios would risk coastal farms, golf courses and revered ancient monuments such as the prehistoric village at Skara Brae in Orkney being drowned under rising sea levels. Some crops could suffer, some animal species could leave, and people could migrate north to Scotland from elsewhere in Europe to escape unbearably high temperatures. Mould growth could blossom in damp buildings, causing more respiratory problems, while food poisoning could increase. The escalating disruptions to daily life are likely to cause stress and mental health problems...

Skara Brae in the Orkneys, shot by Museum, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Scottish climate change fund for African crops

Fife Today (Scotland): Farmers in Africa whose crops are at risk from climate change will be supported by £4 million in aid from Scotland. The funds were announced by Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson before he attends the UN summit on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next week.

He said: "Scotland is well aware of its responsibilities to the wider world and we know that it is some of the world's most vulnerable people in sub-Saharan Africa that are dealing with the harsh realities of climate change.

"I am delighted to announce this latest support from the International Development Fund ahead of the UN Summit as a sign of our commitment to helping alleviate poverty in the developing world and to empowering vulnerable communities to deal with effects of climate change." The funds will support Scotland-based aid organisations working in Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Oxfam will co-ordinate a food security project for Tanzanian farmers. Relief charity Tearfund will work with communities in Rwanda on food security, water and sanitation, and climate change mitigation. In Zambia, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (Sciaf) is involved in a programme to support small-scale farmers.

Ralph Roothaert, of Oxfam, said: "This Scottish Government funding will help women and men small-holder producers to build those skills and, together with others, negotiate for better policies and practices for access to land and water, agricultural production and trade....

Grain silos with total capacity to store over 100 tonnes of grain at Nampamba farm Mpongwe, Zambia, shot by Maxdrobot, Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Fund for 'climate justice' launched

Press Association: A fund aimed at helping some of the world's poorest communities tackle climate change will be launched in Scotland later this week.

First Minister Alex Salmond will be joined by the former Irish president, human rights champion Mary Robinson, when he launches the climate justice fund in Edinburgh on Thursday. Details of the fund are expected to be announced then.

Looking ahead to the event, Mr Salmond said: "The huge injustice of climate change is that it is those who have done the least to cause the problem, the most vulnerable from the world's poorest communities, who are hardest hit. That is why Scotland is committed to working towards climate justice."

The First Minister welcomed the support of Ms Robinson, a former UN high commissioner for human rights. He said: "Climate justice links human rights and development, and puts people at the heart of our economic system. Mary Robinson's support is testament of the key role Scotland is playing in delivering climate justice...."

Mary Robinson speaking at the University of California, shot by Eho1114, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Climate justice: Scotland pioneers new fund to help poor countries with adaptation

Chris Hegarty in the Ecologist: After leading the way on climate legislation with the 2009 Climate Change Act, the Scottish government are now putting their money where their mouth is with the creation of the Climate Justice Fund to pay for developing country adaption projects

The sheer injustice of the situation is inescapable. Countries where the impact of climate change is most pronounced are those with the least responsibility for causing the problem in the first place. ...The Scottish Government announced that it was to set up a Climate Justice Fund after what was said to be ‘the first ever parliamentary debate on the concept world-wide.'

Innovative and based on the priorities of the communities whose interests it is being established to serve, the fund will finance measures such as early-warning weather systems and the introduction of drought resistance crops and agricultural techniques.

Although relatively small, its very existence, and even the fund's name, make an important point. They underline the fact that climate change IS an issue of justice - historical, international, and inter-generational.

Scotland's recognition of this, and willingness to take steps to put it right, is in keeping with its widespread acceptance of the need to do something urgent about climate change....

A boost for Scotland's flood protection

Egovmonitor: New flood protection schemes for Forres, Galashiels and Inverness have come a step closer today as part of the local government settlement for 2012-15.

The three new schemes will receive support from the Scottish Government for up to 80 per cent of their total costs. Locals Authorities are yet to appoint project contractors but according to Minister for Environment and Climate Change Stewart Stevenson, today’s announcement will give assurance to potential bidders and residents.

Mr Stevenson said: “This is great news for flood protection in Scotland, particularly for the three vulnerable areas who will receive this aid. We have listened to the concerns of local government and agreed with COSLA that this resource should be targeted towards major new projects.

“Today’s announcement will give these councils the certainty to tender and I look forward to seeing the positive impact these schemes will have to the lives of residents and livelihoods of businesses. In partnership with COSLA, a further application round will be held in due course which will help take forward flood protection schemes in other parts of Scotland.”...

The River Tweed near Galashiels, shot by james denham, Wikimedia Commons via Geograph UK, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Revealed: how Scots are subsidising housing in English flood plains

Rob Edwards in Herald Scotland: Scottish householders are paying for property development in the southeast of England by contributing to a £200 million-a-year "stealth subsidy" for insuring buildings in areas at high risk of flooding. To keep insurance costs down for thousands of homeowners on English flood plains, owners in Scotland are being charged higher premiums, according to a leading flood insurance expert, David Crichton. And the costs for some are likely to rocket next year, he warns.

As many as 23% of homes in England are at risk of flooding, compared to under five per cent in Scotland. Because of pressures on space, more than one in 10 new properties in England are still being built in flood-risk areas – something that hasn't happened in Scotland and Wales for years.

But because the insurance industry has promised that it will provide affordable flood insurance for every UK home and small business, those in low-risk parts of Scotland are being made to pay more to subsidise those in high-risk areas. This is a "stealth subsidy" which is unfair to Scotland, Crichton told the Sunday Herald.

"At present there is a subsidy of over £200m per-year from policyholders in low-risk areas to those in high-risk areas to enable continued flood plain development in the southeast of England," he said. "Scots with their lower flood risk are paying a disproportionate share of this."

Crichton argued that England's efforts to manage flood risks better had been "largely unsuccessful". There were now at least 40 ways in which Scotland's flood risk was lower than the rest of the UK. "Scotland has gone a long way to manage the risk," he said. "The trouble is that most insurers are unaware that there is any difference at all."...

The Ouse Washes at Sutton Gault, an area of seasonally flooding wet grassland (washland) lying between the Old and New Bedford Rivers. These are derived from the River Ouse, a major tributary of East Anglia's Wash. Shot by Richard Humphrey, Wikimeida Commons via Geograph UK, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Flood warnings issued for north-east England and Scotland

Guardian (UK): Flood warnings are in place in north-east England and across Scotland after forecasters predicted more heavy rain. Parts of eastern Scotland could see up to a month of rain fall on Sunday after downpours swept across north-east England and Northern Ireland on Saturday.

Newcastle United were forced to abandon their friendly against the Italian side Fiorentina at St James' Park owing to torrential rain.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has flood warnings in place for Dundee and Angus, and Tayside. There are lesser flood alerts for Aberdeenshire, central and west-central Scotland, Edinburgh and Lothians, Fife, and Scottish Borders....

Coat of arms of Newcastle Upon Tyne

A flood expert banned in Scotland

Rob Edwards in HeraldScotland rakes some pertinent muck about officialdom’s eagerness to ignore risks: An expert on flooding has been banned from criticising Scottish ministers for ignoring the risk of widespread chaos the country would face after a storm surge in the Firth of Forth. Leading insurance and risk specialist, David Crichton, was due to tell a government-backed conference in Scotland on climate change this week that the country’s vital supplies of fuel, food and power would be seriously disrupted by a flood in the Forth.

He was going to accuse ministers of “denial and complacency” because they had failed to consider the need to build a flood barrier to protect the oil and gas facilities, food distribution depot and power station that line the estuary.

But hours after the Sunday Herald started to make inquiries about his criticisms, he was instructed by organisers to withdraw them and focus instead on giving practical insurance advice to businesses. “They told me it was not suitable,” Crichton said. “I thought it was too good to be true to let me say what I wanted. I have no axe to grind, no bosses to suffer.”

The conference in Edinburgh is due to be opened on Thursday by the climate change minister, Stewart Stevenson. It is being organised by the government-funded Scottish Climate Change Impacts Partnership.

Crichton, from Perth, has spent 25 years in the insurance industry, and advises governments and international agencies on flood risks. He is an honorary professor at University College London and a research fellow at the University of Dundee. His prepared presentation to the conference warns that the consequences of a credible flood in the Forth would be disastrous, and could end up causing billions of pounds worth of damage: “Imagine a situation in which the whole of Scotland suddenly has power cuts, no petrol or diesel supplies, no gas, and only limited food supplies. Imagine this continues for months.”…

A view of the Firth of Forth from Calton Hill in Ediburgh Scotland.gren supplied this shot for the public domain

Adapting in the Hebrides

Stornoway Gazette (Scotland): The CoastAdapt project, which is investigating how local authorities and coastal communities can develop and put into practice ways of adapting to the effects of changing climate, has found that people living in the Outer Hebrides score highly in terms of ‘sense of community, sense of belonging, and caring about people who live here’, and this greatly adds to their capacity to cope with and adapt to change.

The second in the series of three CoastAdapt community workshops is to be held in West Gerinish, South Uist during the evening of Wednesday 4th May. Measuring the local community’s adaptive capacity or resiliency to forecast climate change related risks and hazards is being carried out by using vulnerability assessments following a bottom-up approach involving local people.

Workshops, interviews and surveys have been conducted during the first phase of the CoastAdapt project involving local residents, local authority officers, public organisations and non-governmental organisations from throughout the islands.

Respondents overwhelmingly said it was very important that knowledge about climate change impacts should be made available to help adaptation to take place, as well as identifying potential adaptation options to the risks and opportunities.

However, the project’s first round of community workshops supplemented by interviews with agency and council officers found that such knowledge has not yet been disseminated to decision-makers on the islands. This is not different from other local authorities in Scotland where knowledge of future climate change impacts, while available from universities and researchers, has not yet reached decision-makers at the local level.

Climate change adaptation is also relatively new to local government in Scotland and work on climate change at the local authority level has to date mainly focused on mitigation rather than adaptation, that is, efforts to combat climate change such as reducing our carbon footprint in public buildings….

Stornoway Harbour, shot by Wmck at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Scottish flood scheme could cut home insurance claims

Ruth Bradshaw in USwitch.com: The Scottish town of Elgin is to benefit from a new flood protection scheme that could help residents avoid making home insurance claims in the future. Moray Council has given the go ahead for the new Elgin Flood Protection Scheme, which will be used to actively reduce the risk of flooding to homes and businesses when heavy rainfall causes the River Lossie to swell.

Roseanna Cunningham, minister for environment and climate change, said that the scheme has been modified following a public inquiry into flood risks in the town. "Over the years, the town has been blighted by flooding, the most severe events occurring in 1997, 2002 and September 2009," she said

"This scheme will provide a high level of protection for local people and businesses in the area and is part of the Scottish government's approach to sustainable flood risk management," Cunningham added….

Elgin (Highland) Station, with train, near to Elgin, Moray, Great Britain. View westward, towards Forres and Inverness; ex-Highland Inverness - Forres - Elgin line, connecting just to the east here at Elgin (GNofS) Station into the ex-Great North of Scotland main line to Aberdeen. This is a stopping train from Forres to Keith, headed by ex-Caledonian Pickergill 3P 4-4-0 No. 54471. Shot by Ben Brooksbank, Wikimedia Commons via Geograph UK, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Warning over burst pipes and flooding

Rory Reynolds in the Scotsman: Homes in the Lothians are being warned to prepare for flooding as the big thaw leads to burst pipes misery and hundreds of emergency call-outs to plumbers. Plumbing firms in the Capital have warned residents to be ready to shut off their own water if pipes burst as they may have to wait hours before an engineer can reach them.

As the snow and ice continues to melt the Scottish Envionmental Protection Agency said it was monitoring rivers and lochs, including the Water of Leith and the River Almond for potential flashpoints. Forecasters predict a thaw throughout the week.

Plumbers in the Capital said they had received hundreds of calls from residents. Garry Gilmour, 26, one of six heating and plumbing engineers at the city's C&C Services, said he would usually take three or four calls per day over Christmas, but has taken up to 160 each day. He said: "We've had pipes in lofts just bursting and coming through, and a lot of outdoor taps have been going, causing a skating rink effect in back gardens….”

A burst main on 129th Street, city unknown, between 1910 and 1915. It's not Scotland, it's not winter, and it's not even this century

Bid to prevent Scottish floods approved

Donna McAllister in the Press and Journal (UK): An £88million flood-prevention scheme that aims to protect hundreds of homes and businesses in Moray won approval from Scottish Government ministers yesterday. The Elgin project has been designed to respond to a long history of flooding problems in the town.

But last night the scheme’s construction programme remained uncertain. Moray Council’s deputy convener Allan Wright said the local authority needed “long-term funding assurances” from the Scottish Government before the scheme could be built.

The Elgin Flood Alleviation Scheme went before a public inquiry in September 2009 and resulted in minor changes being made to downstream sections of the project at Barmuckity. That same month more than 100 people were forced to leave their homes and businesses at Elgin after torrential rain battered the area. Flooding also occurred in 1997, 2000, 2002….

A flood-prone stretch of the River Lossie, shot by Anne Burgess, Wikimedia Commons via Geograph UK, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Impact of climate change on Scotland's north-east coastline examined

Aberdeen City Council (Scotland): Scientists from across the globe are gathering today (Wednesday November 3) to examine the potential impacts of climate change on North-east Scotland's coastline. More than 30 delegates are attending a meeting in Aberdeen, focusing on measures to reduce changes to the area's coastlines and the consequences for local communities.

Visits will be held today at sites vulnerable to the effects of climate change along the North-east coast. Ways in which the public are being encouraged to share their views on the impact of climate change in their area will also be outlined.

The two-day meeting brings together scientists, policy makers, educators and stakeholders working together under the Innovative Management for Europe's Changing Coastal Resource (IMCORE) project.

Funded by a €6million EU grant, the project involves 15 partners from across north-west Europe. Its aim is to develop a unified approach to safeguard the future of our coasts from the ecological, social and economic impacts of climate change.

This includes developing approaches to defend coastal communities from flooding and erosion and protect coastal sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture, ports and shipping, and marine recreation. …By engaging with local stakeholders, the research aims to create a co-ordinated approach to identify coastal areas in Aberdeen city and shire that are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and the necessary measures which need to be taken to maintain them for the future.

…A website - www.aberdeenclimatechange.net - has also been launched by the initiative to provide an online resource for people to share data, information and views about climate change issues relating to Aberdeen city and shire…

Robert Salmon's "Curious Rocks, Coast of Scotland," 1828

Parched in Scotland

Jenny Fyall in the Scotsman: It began as a rare treat as the blue skies beamed down day after day across Scotland. However, as the rain continued to hold off across much of the country through April, then May and then June, many faces lit up by the sun began to look increasingly gloomy and overcast.

Met Office data shows the country has just been through the driest first half to the year for nearly seven decades, and from farmers to anglers to whisky producers - and communities dependent on dwindling hydro plants to keep the lights on - the drought that has hit Scotland has started to take an unpleasant turn.

Atlantic weather systems that cross the UK, which usually bring bands of rain to western Scotland, have been absent this year, causing the dry conditions which have seen Scotland experience its driest January to June since 1941. There have only been four drier years since records began in 1910. Across Scotland, rainfall in June was 42 per cent of the monthly average, at 36mm.

Farmers have been left fretting over their crops, amid warnings of higher priced vegetables on supermarket shelves this year. Anglers heading to Scotland have been disappointed by low flows in rivers, with signs salmon and sea trout are delaying their annual migration until water levels rise….

Ellisland farm, Nithsdale, Dumfries, Scotland, circa 1900

Global warming 'will split South Uist in two' as rising sea surges inland

Jenny Fyall in the Scotsman: People living in low-lying South Uist have warned that their island could be split in two unless action is taken to tackle the impact of flooding and sea-level rise. The island in the Outer Hebrides is already dotted with large numbers of inland lochs, which locals believe will eventually join up.

Under climate change scenarios published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), the seas around South Uist will rise by at least 37cm by 2080. Warmer, wetter winters are also predicted. With a lack of coastal barriers to keep the sea at bay, there are fears that Loch Eynort, in central South Uist, could flood and join with nearby Loch Ollay, forming a continuous stretch of water from the east to west coast. Already, with heavy rainfall, some parts of South Uist become temporary islands, with houses cut off and surrounded by water, due to lochs joining with the sea.

On Sunday, concerned residents will give local MSP Alasdair Allan a tour of the island to highlight their fears for the future. They believe habitable areas will shrink, fishing will become more dangerous, and there will be less land to farm unless action is taken to keep the water at bay. They want better sea defences, drainage systems and early warning systems for dangerous areas liable to flood….

Flowering machair, Hills of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, shot by Tim Niblett, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Flooding brings fresh chaos to Scotland

Lauren Crooks in the Daily Recond (Scotland): Fed-up Scots' weather woes continued yesterday as the freeze gave way to gales and floods. Met Office experts issued alerts as downpours combined with the thaw to leave roads underwater. High winds added to the gloom, hitting 75mph in the northern isles. Forecasters also warned last night that the snow could be on its way back.

MeteoGroup's Paul Mott said: "It will turn colder in the middle of the week and there is a risk of some snow, looking ahead to Tuesday night and Wednesday." Overnight flooding led to a landslide on a road in southern Scotland yesterday and the closure of some routes, including a stretch of the M74 near Crawford.

Surface water also made for treacherous conditions around Stirling and in Ayrshire. Police closed the A811 between Kippen and the Ballat crossroads. Flood watches were in place in Dumfries and Galloway, with the River Nith once again bursting its banks in the town. Gales wreaked havoc with ferry services….

Rockcliffe, Dumfries and Galloway, shot by David Grimshaw, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Homes evacuated as Scotland hit by floods

Luke Walsh in Edie.net: Heavy rain has caused chaos across parts of Scotland with homes being evacuated and rivers reaching record heights across the country. The worst of the rain hit last Thursday (3 September) forcing Moray Council to evacuated 50 homes in Fochabers. Next morning the council was again forced to help more people flee their homes, this time in Elgin.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has said while it's still raining in some areas the worst has passed. Around Aberdeen SEPA had several reports of flooding from small streams and problems with surface water. The Grange River, a tributary of the Deveron, recorded its highest level since records began in 1959 at 3.651m last Friday -the previous highest was 3.365m set in Nov 2007….

The town of Fochabers and the Spey River at a less soggy time, shot by Qeqertaq, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License

Scottish agency apologizes for flood alarm failure

Luke Walsh in edie.net: Homes and business were flooded without warning when an automatic system set up to send text alerts about rising water failed. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has now apologised for the fault which meant its area duty officer didn't get a text message about high water to their mobile.

The flooding happened overnight last Wednesday (19 August) in the upper reaches of the Ettrick Valley in the Borders.

The agency's gauging station at Deephope on the Tima Water, a tributary of the Ettrick Water, rose above alarm levels and warnings should have gone to several groups in the valley. However, no warnings were sent because of what SEPA describes as an 'unforeseen technical malfunction' in its handling system, which forwards alarms as text messages….

A farm on the Ettrick Water, Scotland, shot by Richard Webb, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

Government agency and universities in Scotland team up to address flood risk

Sam Bond in Edie.net: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is to work with two of the countries universities in an attempt to plug the emerging skills gap on flood risk management. SEPA will fund two new trainee posts for each of the next three years with the successful candidates working for the watchdog on a part time basis while studying for an MSc at Sterling or Dundee.

When qualified, it is anticipated that successful graduates will be offered permanent jobs in SEPA helping deliver improved flood risk management for Scotland and meeting the challenges of the forthcoming Flooding Bill. This new approach will help establish Dundee and Stirling universities as national centres for expertise in flood risk management science.

Graduates from these courses will provide future flood risk management skills, not just for SEPA, but also for other partner organisations in the front line tackling sustainable flood management. SEPA's Flood Unit manager, David Faichney said: "To meet our future flood risk management challenges, we must ensure that we have the graduates we need with the relevant skills and knowledge.”…

The River Kelvin in Glasgow, Scotland, flowing through Kelvingrove Park. Shot by Finlay McWalter, Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 License

Forth Ports warned of climate change flood threat to docks

Andrew Picken in the Scotsman: Forth Ports has been warned to boost its flood defences amid fears its multi-million pound revamp of Leith Docks could end up being swamped by the sea. City planners are currently assessing the port owner's plans for the first two of nine "urban villages" featuring new homes, hotels and visitor centres.

But the city's transport and engineering department has raised concerns about flooding and the impact that rising sea levels, caused by climate change, will have on the £700 million development.

Officials have warned that an area of the port just north of Ocean Terminal, where development is planned over the next 20 years, could be flooded in the event of a major storm. But Forth Ports today dismissed the council's concerns, claiming they were based on "material inaccuracies".

The council has now recommended a number of conditions are put on the application if it is approved, including ensuring that the finished ground levels are a minimum of 5.5m above the average sea level. Officials also want all buildings removed from any potential storm flooding plains and a new agreement on the management of water levels in the Water of Leith and docks.

Alvin Barber, one of the council's top flood prevention experts, said: "There is uncertainty about the predicted extreme water levels, both at present and as a result of climate change. "The drawings submitted show flow paths in the event of a storm which exceeds the capacity of the drainage system, causing surcharge and overland flow….”

No 3 Dock at Methil, Fife, was authorised in 1907 and opened in 1913. It was given its own entrance off the Firth of Forth, with a channel 120 feet wide in which were lock gates 80 feet wide. Shot by A-M-Jervis, Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 License