Adaptations for climate change stalled in Scotland, report shows

Storms which leave thousands without power for days are expected to become more common

Progress on tackling the impact of climate change has stalled in Scotland, according to an independent report.

The UK's Climate Change Committee (CCC) said the Scottish government was not prepared for changes such as wetter winters and rising sea levels.

A new report by the independent body, which advises the government, said these pose risks to people, infrastructure and business.

But the Scottish government insisted it was "making real progress".

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The chairwoman of the CCC adaptation committee, Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, said work on adapting to changes in the climate was the "poor relation" of the net zero targets feted by governments.

"Even if we are on a path to net zero, the climate continues to change," she told BBC Scotland.

Over the past 30 years, the average temperature in Scotland has risen by 0.5C, Scottish winters have become 5% wetter and the sea level around the Scottish coast has increased by up to 3cm each decade, the report pointed out.

The Scottish government has committed to reaching "net zero emissions" of all greenhouse gases by 2045 - five years earlier than the UK as a whole.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 197 countries agreed to try to keep temperature rises "well below" 1.5C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Experts say that to achieve this, net zero must be reached by 2050.

However, the CCC report "Is Scotland climate ready?" said "more needs to be done" to deal with the changing climate in the meantime.

Baroness Brown said Scotland was not acting "at the scale or pace required"

Baroness Brown said: "I think we all need to be worried about future climate impacts and I think the storms we've had over the past winter reminded us about the lack of resilience we have in many of our systems, for example, those people who after Storm Arwen who were left for days without electricity."

The report said there was a "far-reaching vision" for how the government wants to build resilience through its second Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme.

It stated: "Whilst this vision is welcome, our assessment of progress in adaptation across society indicates that more needs to be done to ensure that the vision translates into actions commensurate with the size of the challenge."

It highlighted five areas where action to adapt and build resilience to climate change in Scotland was "stalling".

They covered natural and built environments, health, infrastructure and business.

'Scotland needs to up its game'

Baroness Brown commended the Scottish government on its "vision for a climate ready Scotland", but added: "The reality is that action is not happening at the scale or pace required."

"Without a renewed sense of urgency, the significant changes we are already seeing in Scotland today will have impacts on all areas of Scottish society and nature in the years to come," she said.

"Scotland needs to up its game by kickstarting delivery; introducing clear, measurable targets; improving monitoring and evaluation of climate risks and ensuring greater accountability for government - it has some examples of good practice to build on."

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Liam Kerr, for the Scottish Conservatives, said: "In just the last few months, we have seen the damage and devastation caused by severe winter storms and the SNP's belated response - this cannot be allowed to continue."

Colin Smyth, Scottish Labour net zero spokesman, said the report was a "damning indictment of the SNP-Green government's atrocious record on the environment".

And Scottish Liberal Democrats energy spokesman Liam McArthur called for a "green industrial revolution" and added: "When it comes to tackling climate change, the SNP are all hot air and the Green party have wilted."

'Global challenge'

Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson said the Scottish government welcomed independent scrutiny but argued "real progress" was being made.

He said this included an extra £150m for flood risk management, £12m for coastal change adaptation and investment to improve the resilience of the country's trunk roads.

Mr Matheson added: "We are pleased that the committee supports our vision for a climate resilient Scotland.

"However, we accept that more needs to be done.

"This is a global challenge and we are not alone in needing to accelerate progress."