Highland residents and businesses asked for experiences of severe weather and climate change for new Highland Council survey, in partnership with Adaptation Scotland
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PEOPLE'S experiences of severe weather and climate change are being sought by Highland Council in a survey aimed at identifying priorities in a warming world.
The council has linked up with Adaptation Scotland to seek comments from local communities and businesses, and is eager to learn about their experiences with severe weather in the past few years.
The local authority said that the impacts of climate change and extreme weather were already being felt across the Highlands – from damage to infrastructure, to disruption of vital services and a shift in growing seasons – more information is needed about how communities and businesses are being affected.
It follows the council’s recent declaration of a climate and ecological emergency, and its ongoing efforts to cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
The council added that, even with actions being taken, past and present day emissions mean the rate of climate change will intensify over the coming decades – and there is a need to adapt to those changes now.
The council, along with community planning partners, believes there could be "significant benefits" to establishing a Highland-wide climate change adaptation partnership to coordinate and deliver a joined-up approach to managing the impacts of climate change in the region.
Highland Council leader, Councillor Margaret Davidson, said: “The council recently declared a climate and ecological emergency, and we are well aware of the extent of the challenge facing the region.
"To that end, taking a proactive, Highland-wide partnership approach to the risks that climate change is going to bring to Highland seems to be a sensible way forward.
"The views of Highland communities and businesses will help us better understand the challenges they are facing as well as shaping how we can best address this in a collaborative way.”
Adaptation Scotland – a programme funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by sustainability charity Sniffer – has already seen similar schemes set up in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and the Glasgow area.
Highland Council said the schemes had shown that adapting is easier, cheaper, and more effective through partnership working. The results of the survey will help identify local priorities that could be tacked if a new climate change adaptation partnership is established.
Anna Beswick, Adaptation Scotland programme manager at Sniffer, added: “We want to find out more about how communities and businesses across the Highlands are being impacted by climate change. It is crucial that we listen and understand how people are being affected. Any new climate change adaptation partnership must respond to local concerns and priorities. The results of the survey will provide important information to help plan for the future."
The survey can be found here and is available until September 6.
