Scotland’s preparations for climate change are still too slow with the threat of major economic damage from extreme weather rising, a damning report has warned.

The study, by independent experts at the Climate Change Committee, said much more action is required to safeguard the country’s water supply and infrastructure and protect against floods, storms and wildfires.

But it warned “important gaps remain”, including a need to bolster our defences against both drought and floods – particularly in the wake of Storm Babet which recently battered the northeast.

The report said: “This lack of action will put Scotland at increasing risk of damaging cascading impacts across the economy when weather extremes occur in future.”
The CCC’s annual findings highlighted how the unprecedented Storm Babet had caused “widespread” flooding leading to “several deaths and hundreds of homes impacted alongside transport and power system disruptions”.

It’s estimated the repair bill from the deadly storm could surpass £500million.

The CCC also raised increasing summer heat in Scotland, with warm and dry conditions in June leading to significant water scarcity in our lochs and rivers.

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