image for illustration: clouds by Joanna Theobald
More than 20 organisations are formally joining forces to protect Scotland’s critical infrastructure from weather and climate related impacts, reports Network Rail.
Network Rail writes:
The ‘Climate Ready Infrastructure Scotland Forum’ was co-founded by Network Rail, Scottish Water and SP Energy Networks. On Wednesday 7th May 2025, the group signed a historic memorandum of understanding, agreeing to work closer together to build resilience against the growing impacts of climate change on Scotland’s infrastructure.
It comes following a sustained and notable change in our nation’s climate. Temperatures are rising, rainfall patterns have changed, and we’re experiencing extreme weather events more frequently. It’s projected these changes will continue and intensify in the years ahead, with hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters.
Climate projections confirm Scotland’s ten warmest years on record have all occurred since 1997, the hottest being 2022. We’re seeing an average of 10% more rain than we did between the 1960s-90s, with winters 29% wetter. The rate of sea level rise has also increased over the last 30 years, rising by approximately 18.5cm from the start of the 20th century.
