It is right to ‘look on the bright side’ of global warming

CLIMATE change has made it easier for businesses in Scotland to access areas in Canada and North America for trade.

This is very much the silver lining of climate change and, on balance, it’s still best to take action to reduce the harmful effects of it.

But there are opportunities for Scottish enterprise from the changes that we are seeing in terms of these new trade routes.

Also the cold days we get in Scottish cities during the winter could get less cold due to climate change, which would be a positive thing.

But a downside is that there’s likely to be more flooding, that’s why there’s a need to improve the energy efficiency of homes across the country and to do more to protect them from flooding, which can be done through design of properties. It’s got to the point with climate change where some change is bound to happen and we have to do whatever we can to reduce the harmful environment affects of this.

But where there’s a positive to it, such as with trade and possible job creation, then it’s something that can be taken advantage of.

• Lewis Macdonald MSP is Scottish Labour’s cabinet spokesman for infrastructure and capital investment.