Storm Floris: Only urgent climate action can stop extreme weather being our future
We need urgent climate action if we are to stop extreme weather events from becoming the new normal, says Scottish Green Co-Leader Lorna Slater.
Ms Slater’s comments come as Storm Floris has battered Scotland and beyond, with transport halted, falling trees, homes losing power across Ireland and the Tattoo being cancelled at Edinburgh Castle.
One Met Office forecaster told the BBC that Storm Floris is the most powerful storm recorded in Scotland in August since naming began.
Ms Slater said:
“We should not be seeing storms like this in August, but with climate chaos around us these kinds of scenes will only become more common and more severe.
“I urge everyone to stay safe and follow the guidance from the emergency services who are working to protect us all. I also urge employers to support workers who are being impacted by the storm and ensure that they are not being put in harm’s way or being asked to go into it unnecessarily.
“Our weather has been all over the place this summer, with heat waves and wild fires giving way to storms and everything in between. We cannot let this be our future.
“The truth is that the more urgent the crisis has become the less our governments are doing to address it. We need a focus on mitigations and defences, but we also need leaders who are willing to take the local and international action that is needed to climate-proof our future.
“Climate action is not just about managing our temperatures, it is about protecting people and the services we all rely on and ensuring that we have a society that is built to cope.”