Council makes appeal for information on effects of climate change
9th August 2019
The Highland Council, in partnership with Adaptation Scotland, have launched a survey asking local communities and businesses to share their experiences about how they have been affected by severe weather and climate change over the past few years.
While the impacts of climate change and extreme weather are 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 local communities and businesses are being affected.
Following the Council's recent declaration of a climate and ecological emergency, work in the Highlands to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will continue to contribute to limiting the extent of future climate change. However, past and present day emissions mean that the rate of climate change will intensify over the coming decades and there is therefore a need to adapt to changes now.
The Council, along with Community Planning Partners, believe 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 the climate crisis in Highland. 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 City Region. The schemes have shown 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.
Leader of The Highland Council, 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."
Anna Beswick, Adaptation Scotland Programme Manager at Sniffer explained: "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 is available until 6th September 2019 at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HighlandAdapts
Related Businesses
Related Articles
As intimated in Highland Council's budget plan, a new senior management structure is to be implemented following approval by Council 14th March. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.
Today, Morrison Construction introduced some of their local apprentices who are working on the UK Governments' Levelling Up Funded refurbishment project at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness. All these apprentices have been recruited from the Highland area.
The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 19 - Inverness South on The Highland Council has been won by Duncan Cameron McDonald - Independent who was one of the eight candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters in the ward went to the poll yesterday (Thursday 11 April) and the by-election count was held this morning in The Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.
The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate. The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate.
Following the success of its Business Digital Grant scheme launched last year, The Highland Council is delighted to announce further funding. This is to help Highland companies access digital support alongside other business growth support.
The Highland Council is delighted to confirm a highly successful second year for Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights between Wick and Aberdeen. The period from April 2023 to March 2024 has seen a substantial increase in passenger numbers, with several months seeing over 1,000 passengers using the service, and overall the service has seen year on year growth of 25%.
Members of Highland Council, who met on Thursday 14 March 2024, approved a corporate Digital Ambition, which has been designed to deliver significant organisational change across Council services, recognising the current priorities within the organisation. The Strategy, which is embedded within the wider Council Delivery Plan, has been developed to focus attention and resources on areas of change which will deliver the greatest benefit to the Council.
The Council remains committed to supporting mentoring in our schools, including the support that is currently delivered through the MCR Pathways programme. Highland Council is currently undertaking a review of Employability Support provided by a number of different council services and how these relate to the work carried out by external partners and in our schools.
Highland Council members have considered and agreed a revised draft Highland Outcome Improvement Plan. The partnership plan has been reviewed and updated by the Community Planning Partnership.
Members at today's (14 March 2024) meeting of The Highland Council agreed the local authority's new draft Community Wealth Building Strategy. They were also asked to note that a period of public engagement on the draft will now begin, with a final strategy returning to full Council for consideration in September.
