Impactful Weather and Multi-Hazard Events: Lived Experiences From Rural Scotland

A current PhD project at the University of Strathclyde is exploring how climate information can support adaptation and resilience planning across rural Scotland. As part of this work, feedback is sought from people involved in agriculture, land management and rural advisory services,

Over the past two years, the research has explored the weather and climate hazards affecting rural Scotland today and those likely to become more significant in the future. This work has recently been published: https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cli2.70035

Building on this research, the team have developed a set of climate storylines focused on warmer and wetter winters in Scotland, examining potential implications for farming, forestry and rural communities.

The storylines explore a range of issues relevant to Scottish agriculture, including:

• Waterlogged soils and delayed field operations
• Increased flood risk and impacts on farm infrastructure
• Livestock health and welfare challenges
• Soil erosion and degradation
• Disruption to transport and supply chains
• Opportunities and challenges for long-term farm adaptation There is a short video that explains the climate storylines approach and explores what warmer and wetter winters could look like in rural Scotland.

Watch the video here

After watching the video, participants are invited to complete a short survey (approximately 10–15 minutes) to share their views on the usefulness of climate storylines for adaptation planning:

Click here for the short survey

Survey deadline: 30th September