MAJOR transport links and hospitals in the Glasgow area are at risk of being impaired or shut down by climate change, a study has found.
The Climate Ready Clyde review, which is still to be finalised calls for urgent action to address issues to roads, railways and hospitals which are predicted to be hit by more storms, regular heatwaves and heavier winter flooding by 2050.
CRC, the partnership of councils, Scottish Government and public sector agencies aimed at preparing for a changing climate, warned that failure to prepare properly for the extreme weather that climate change is estimated to cost the Glasgow region £400m each year by the 2050s.
They say key areas for action include climate proofing key rail and road infrastructure along the Clyde from storms, heat and coastal erosion.
The assessment is also due to warn that several hundred metres of the West Highland Line will be threatened by the sea along the north Clyde coastline near Ardmore Point as coastal erosion accelerates.
It is also due to say that the Erskine Bridge may require wind barriers as it may experience “extreme exposure” to storms.
The review, expected be finalised in the next month, is also due to say there is a high risk of flooding on the M8 in Glasgow and the M74 near Hamilton.
It is expected to say there is a high risk of surface water flooding and medium to high risk of river flooding to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
And is expected to warn that the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of north and east Glasgow will be most exposed to the social and economic impacts of extreme weather.
It also calls for the protection of NHS estates and social care facilities against flooding and overheating by continuing to assess risks.
It wants a further development of flood risk protection from rivers, the coast, surface water and a future sea level rise to homes and businesses based on the latest climate projections.
It also wants the development of plans to reduce risks to buildings of significant cultural heritage, such as Newark Castle and Dumbarton Castle.
James Curren, the former chief executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, who chairs Climate Ready Clyde said: "Much action is already underway, and there is a strong commitment from stakeholders to ensure its economy and people continue to flourish.
"Whilst we need to continue to urgently cut emissions to reduce the effects of climate change, we also need to accelerate our adaptation planning to manage the changes that are already locked in. Adapting to climate change requires us to do things differently, and to make decisions that take a long view and involve complexity.
"Adapting to a changing climate will help protect jobs, deliver economic prosperity, improve wellbeing, and ensure that Glasgow City Region remains a great place to live and work for generations to come."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel