FORTHRIGHT. Insights from Forth Estuary Forum no.3

Special issue:
Preparing for climate risks

Hello and thanks for opening up this third issue of ForthRight in which we focus on taking a deep dive into the closely linked issues of climate change and coastal erosion. We kick off with a report into the launch of Climate Ready South East Scotland (CRSES), an exciting project to bring together everyone in the region in accelerating measures to adapt to climate change before the impact overwhelms us.

We also speak to Cat Payne who, as Senior Climate Resilience Manager at Sniffer, is heading up the project. Her expertise in climate change and her passion for practical adaptation measures that embrace all our stakeholders and communities is inspiring. Plus we take a look at Sniffer’s work with Climate Ready Clyde to see if any learnings may be applied to the Forth.

And there’s more. We also have an in-depth discussion with Alistair Rennie, leader of the Dynamic Coast project, about what happened to our coastlines this winter – and what we need to do next to protect them. It’s an important discussion that we wanted to share in full and have presented it in a Q&A format so that you can home in on the areas that are of most interest to you.

And finally, thanks to the Met Office, we also share key climate change data relating to Scotland and the UK,

I hope you enjoy reading this issue and find it useful – links to issues one and two are at the end of this email.

Fraser Allen
Communications Lead
[email protected]

How can we adapt to climate change?

As the impact of coastal erosion becomes ever more evident along the Firth of Forth, a new risk assessment initiative aims to accelerate the ways in which we adapt effectively to the impact of climate change across the region.

At the end of April, 74 stakeholders gathered at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute for the launch of Climate Ready South East Scotland (CRSES), an initiative intended to transform the region’s ability to respond and adapt to the impact of climate change – you can see an online version of the launch here.

CRSES will explore the impact of climate change across every aspect of the region’s environment, economy and community life, with the coastline obviously a key issue, particularly in terms of biodiversity, flood risk and coastal erosion. Indeed a BBC Scotland news report this month highlighted the extensive damage that the increasing severity of storms is having on the coastline of East Lothian... Full story here.

“I’m a climate model geek”

As Senior Climate Resilience Manager at Sniffer, Cat Payne has taken on the role of project manager for the recently launched Climate Ready South East Scotland (CRSES) initiative. And as we discover, she has all the credentials and commitment you could ask for. 

“One of the things I like most about Sniffer is that we value a diversity of knowledge and are very focused on communities within the adaptation process, recognising that we aren't going to have ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to adapting to the impacts of climate change. We really value lived experience and recognise that local people are the experts when it comes to their place and their community. We need to make sure that local people's voices are heard and are central to adaptation. Adaptation should be something that is done with communities, not ‘to’ them.”.. Full story here.

“This is a wake-up call”

Dr Alistair Rennie, leader of the Dynamic Coast project, explains what happens when a combination of storm events hits our coastline, and urges a collegiate response to planning for adaptation before it’s too late. Fraser Allen asks the questions.

Q: Do you think the impact of storm damage and coastal erosion in Scotland this winter has woken up people who have been complacent, or even cynical, about climate change?

A: Yes, I think this is a wake-up call for us to take this subject more seriously and identify the key lessons. This storm season has been very concerning, with 11 named storms, and that may be something we will have to get used to in the future. So, in that sense, it's a useful opportunity to see what our future may look like, what that means to us and how we need to act… Full story here.

Climate change in charts
Key data from the Met Office

Take a look at four graphs that build a broad picture of the challenges and opportunities faced by the Forth. These Met Office slides were shared at the launch of Climate Ready South East Scotland in April 2024. Full story here.

Plus – what can we learn from the Clyde?
The launch of Climate Ready South East Scotland has the benefit of being able to draw on the work of other initiatives, such as Climate Ready Clyde, which was also led by Sniffer. What can we learn from that initiative in terms of implications for the Forth? Full story here.

Previous issues of ForthRight…
Issue One
Issue Two

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