Climate change: Snow and ice in Texas, floods and landslides in Scotland, extreme weather is already upon us – Kenny MacAskill MP

It’s almost six years since my wife and I visited friends in Texas and though enjoying the experience I won’t rush back.

A woman wrapped in a blanket crosses a street near downtown Dallas in Texas, where snow and ice caused much of the power grid to collapse and also affected water supplies (Picture: LM Otero/AP)

It was early spring but where we were staying, as indeed across the state, it was heat, not cold, that was the issue. So it was a surprise to see recent snow and ice in Texas, where it had been dust and sun before.

But that’s as much part of global warming as the increased temperatures which it’s reckoned will make parts of the “panhandle state” uninhabitable in years to come. Weather extremes are only going to increase and it’s the same here in Scotland.

Out for a walk at the weekend, we came across a golf course that was flooded, and looking more akin to something you’d use for a regatta. Friends told me of other such courses elsewhere. Nearby a house was marooned and it’s hard to see how it can ever become inhabitable again. The golf course likewise seems set to be a floodplain for weeks, if not months of the year.

It’s why as well as taking action to preserve our planet from extinction, we need to take steps to protect ourselves from the harm we’ve already done. It may never get as bad as Texas but heavy snows, wild winds and rain deluges are probably here to stay. That work comes at a cost but it needs to be borne and needs to be done.

Around the time I was heading to Texas, I was sitting on a parliamentary committee considering the state of the A83. A vital route, its repeated closure through landslides was causing real issues for many communities.

Despite the best endeavours of many and considerable expense, the problem remains. But it won’t be the only road to suffer as adverse weather and changes to the terrain affect our communities. In my own patch, the A7 suffered last year and, again, it was weather-related.

So global warming isn’t just something in the far yonder, it’s with us now. It’s why we need to change but equally prepare for what we’ve done.

Kenny MacAskill is the SNP MP for East Lothian

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