Locally and worldwide, the climate is changing. Year on year, records for global temperatures and extreme weather events are being broken. Across Argyll and Bute over the past 60 years, rainfall has increased by 20% (2050mm to 2500mm) and average annual temperatures have risen by 18% (6.9^oC to 8.2^oC). This is projected to rise to over 10.5^oC  by the 2070s, or an overall increase of 50%.

     

Argyll and Bute communities, places and landscapes are being affected by climate change in different ways. The recent damage and disruption from storms, flooding and landslides is one example of what we can increasingly expect, with a single event in early October 2023 causing £10.5 million damage to our roads and other transport infrastructure while leaving some communities isolated.

For more detailed picture of climate trends close to you, take a look at Argyll and Bute Climate Trends Analysis which includes information for a range of settlements across the region as well as tools to help illustrate future climate in your own location.

Argyll and Bute Climate Action is an initiative of the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership (CPP) to develop an integrated Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for the region, with ACT as the employing body for the project officer.

The CPP is the group of organisations and community representatives working together to achieve improvements across Argyll and Bute in ways which promote prevention, reduce inequalities and build community capacity. Individual CPP organisations already have work in progress to tackle climate change, but in addition we are working to

• identify gaps and opportunities, especially those that can be made possible by CPP and other partners working together
• prioritise  activity according to risk and resources, and align with the CPP outcomes around Transport, Housing and Community Wellbeing identified by the community as priorities
• develop resilience: to develop skills and capacity to adapt to ongoing change. We need to identify quick wins alongside longer term major capital projects.

We need to build up a thorough understanding of the risks and opportunities we face, and of where there is already activity, taking into account local knowledge. We have been engaging with stakeholders across the CPP and nationally in addition to working closely with the Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network and are adding their feedback to the draft strategy that we presented to the CPP’s Climate Group in spring.

If you have stories of how you have been impacted by climate change in Argyll, please get in touch with the Project Manager Andy Macpherson [email protected]

We make Argyll and Bute climate ready by acting together to understand and adapt to our changing climate

This project is made possible by funding from Argyll & Bute Council, NHS Highland, NatureScot and Argyll & Bute Third Sector Interface with in kind support from the wider Community Planning Partnership. For further information about our partners please visit their pages.

ABCA Executive Summary

ABCA Appendices