A traditional Scottish highland games has become a victim of the summer heatwave. Organisers of the Invercharron Highland Games have confirmed that the event has been cancelled with “severe regret” because of the “exceptionally dry weather”. In a statement on the games website, they explained that the farmer whose field is used to host the traditional gathering has not been able to harvest his crops, which have been more slow growing as a result of the conditions.
Daily Mail 9th Aug 2018 read more »
Dr Sam Gardner is the acting director of WWF Scotland: While it’s not unusual for Highland Games and other outdoor events to be cancelled because of rain, it’s pretty unusual for them to be called off due to Scotland’s summer being too hot. However, if there is one thing we shouldn’t be surprised by it is the increasingly chaotic and disruptive weather we’re experiencing as climate change plays out in front of our eyes. Earlier this week, scientists from the highly respected Stockholm Resilence Centre published a particularly stark report arguing that even if the carbon emission reductions called for in the Paris Agreement are met, there is a risk of the planet entering what the scientists call “Hothouse Earth” conditions. In this scenario, the global average temperature will stabilise 4-5C higher than pre-industrial temperatures with sea levels 10-60 metres higher than today. They add their voice to the urgent calls to greatly accelerate the transition towards an emission-free world economy. For all the above reasons and the reality that the world’s poorest are already feeling the worst impacts of climate change, we must redouble and redouble our efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The loss of a Highland Games event is the tip of the iceberg of the unpredictable, disruptive and economically damaging impacts Scotland will experience. The good news is that it’s not too late for us to do something about it. Scotland has demonstrated climate leadership in the past, with the Climate Change Bill in 2009 including world-leading targets, which we have met years early. In the coming months we have the chance to again show the ambition that others must match if we’re to be confident of preventing a Hothouse Earth. To do that, the new Climate Change Bill must set a clear commitment to end our contribution to carbon emissions by 2050. Last year over 19,000 members of public called for a strong Scottish Climate Change Bill and earlier this year a dozen of the world’s leading climate scientists including professors from Cambridge, Oxford, London, Edinburgh and Aberdeen universities urged the Scottish Government to adopt a target of net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. We sincerely hope politicians of all parties listen and act so that Scotland can continue to be a world leader on the climate stage and we can look forward with some optimism that the worst impacts of climate change can be prevented.
Scotsman 10th Aug 2018 read more »
