Climate change risk to Scotland’s whisky and hydro-power

Climate change could see rivers and lochs in Scotland run dry, posing a threat to crops, renewable energy generation and the country’s worldfamous whisky industry.

The warning comes from university of Dundee academic Dr Sarah Halliday as she prepares to host a panel event focusing ontheenvironmentalcrisis.she saysurgentactiontotackleglobalwarmingisneededtoprevent an increase in water shortages for Scotland’s citizens and its agriculture sector.

“Climate change is putting increasing pressure on our freshwater resources and dependent ecosystems here in Scotland,” she said.

“Changes in rainfall patterns and increases in extreme events means flash floods and droughts are both becoming increasingly common.

“In July, over half the month’s rainfall fell in one hour, leading to significant flash flooding in Edinburgh. This was despite the summer of 2021 being the fourth hottest summer since records began. The consequence is that significant areas of Scotland are experiencing moderate water scarcity now.”

Scottish industry and amenities are also at risk from climate change, according to Dr Halliday. “If reduced river flow becomes the norm, then this has additional consequences,” she said.

“Hydro-power schemes and whisky distilleries, whose abstraction consents are linked not only to the quantity of water in our rivers but also its temperature, could be disrupted.

“Reduced rainfall and higher temperatures result in increased need for crop irrigation, exacerbating water shortage sand threatening the future viability of many of our traditional crops. We are running out of time to protect our water resources and that is why it is imperative we adapt.”

The panel event – Festival of the Future COP26 Series: Water – will take place online from 2pm to 4pm on Thursday.

Hosted by Dr Halliday, it will also include guest speakers Dr Caroline Clason, an associate professor at the University of Plymouth, who will discuss the importance of glaciers as water resources, and the University of Dundee’s Dr Andrew Black will also talk about natural flood management in Scotland.