How Climate Change might affect Shetland
We can already see the impacts of climate change and these will become more severe and widespread as global temperatures rise. How great the impacts will become depends upon our success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate Change will affect the climate system, ecosystems, and people at an international and local level.
Changes to the climate system that Shetland might face include:
- Coastal flooding and erosion from storms and sea level rise
- Surface/flash flooding from extreme rainfall
- Flooding of burns from extreme rainfall
- Landslides
- Pests, pathogens and invasive species
- Extreme temperatures
- More storms
- Drought/water security
- Ocean acidification as the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide and becomes more acidic
A changing climate is not simply an environmental issue. It is a wide-ranging problem with ecological, environmental, social and economic impacts on communities, businesses, infrastructure and day-to-day life in Shetland.
Effects of Climate Change on people and ecosystems:
- Disruption to transport including imports/exports
- Structural damage to buildings
- Economy
- Fishing and aquaculture impacted by ocean acidification and pests/pathogens/invasive species
- Health
- People displaced due to climate change