Tag: nature

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Scots had 5.5 million litres of water each recently so the reserves should have coped with this recent dry weather

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BBC Scotland this morning has A prolonged period of dry weather has left some river flows in the east of Scotland among the lowest on record. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it meant a number of sites across the Borders, Angus, Aberdeenshire and Fife were expected to move into “significant scarcity” in the next few days. It would allow them to introduce “targeted and temporary restrictions” on water abstractions to protect rivers and wildlife. How much fresh water does Scotland have? Scotland’s Loch Ness alone contains 7,452 million cubic meters of water, which is more than the combined … Continue reading Scots had 5.5 million litres of water each recently so the reserves should have coped with this recent dry weather

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Largs to Millport ferry, four times every hour, with capacity for 6 million passengers and three quarters of a million cars only used one eighth and one third of that capacity in 2024 – who pays for such generosity?

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Every year, thousands of drivers, often in SUV’s, try to get on to a tiny island which thousands of others walk and cycle round, their potentially lovely day spoiled by those same drivers. There’s a well-run bus service from the ferry slip to the town with hundreds of bicycles for hire and lots of wee cafes to relax in. I’ve been there more times than I can remember and never felt the need to take a car. These days, I’d struggle to get round the island on feet or wheels but there’s no way I’d be bullying my way round … Continue reading Largs to Millport ferry, four times every hour, with capacity for 6 million passengers and three quarters of a million cars only used one eighth and one third of that capacity in 2024 – who pays for such generosity?

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Scotland rising above sea levels after only two years of SNP Government

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The Guardian today, has: There is no great master plan’: anxiety as UK homes, roads and railways sink into the sea – Increasing coastal erosion has hit communities’ livelihoods and put lifestyles under threat There is no mention of any Scottish location. Here’s why: In October 2009, The Telegraph reported, the above and: England is sinking while Scotland rises above sea levels, according to new study England is sinking into the sea while Scotland is rising at such a rate it may counteract the effects of sea level rise due to climate change, according to a new geological map. The University … Continue reading Scotland rising above sea levels after only two years of SNP Government

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The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

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In the Guardian today, the above and: Rainwater harvesting, the use of grey water in homes and an urgent campaign to reduce water usage across society are vital to prevent water shortages of 5bn litres a day by 2055, the government has been told. Without intervention, England will face severe water shortages in the coming decades, as climate change-induced weather patterns, population growth and the expansion of industries such as water-intensive datacentres put excessive demand on supplies and endanger life, according to a House of Lords report published on Thursday. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/21/england-harvest-rainfall-water-usage-shortages-house-of-lords-report There’s no mention of Scotland in the report and media operating … Continue reading The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

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South Uist Business Impact Group appears to be inventing problems that, in reality, are not there

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By stewartb Media coverage of ‘ferries’ news has left a lot to be desired. This is true of local press coverage as well as national. In the run up to the Holyrood election there was local press coverage in the Western Isles that seems to exemplify the problem. From Hebrides News online (April 3, 2026): ‘Island economy struggles ‘turning into a nightmare’ due to CalMac ferry crisis’. Firstly readers are told this: ‘South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG) have raised concerns over reduced animal welfare as a result of CalMac’s cuts to ferry services’ and ‘The ferry action group said: “CalMac’s cuts mean … Continue reading South Uist Business Impact Group appears to be inventing problems that, in reality, are not there

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The Great Scottish Ferry Inconvenience Media War

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Lesley Riddoch in her early April 2026 podcast said on the ferries crisis (literally) I’ve got to say personally, I’m sick of hearing people on the mainland ‘attack islanders’ for simply expecting that they can be connected. Just to remind you we all live on an island, and it would be a bit like saying Scotland’s a bit too expensive to include in UK national systems so let’s just charge them more. We wouldnae, would we?’ Who are those ‘people’ attacking islanders then? Turns out it’s me! ‘I’m probably gonna lose some friends on this because I am absolutely sick … Continue reading The Great Scottish Ferry Inconvenience Media War

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How can South Uist have no ‘mainland’ ferry service when the Skye Bridge offers an alternative that takes the same time?

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Keeping the Ferry Frenzy kettle boiling right up to the election, BBC Scotland today has the above and: The owner of a South Uist tourism business has said they are dealing with a wave of cancellations thanks to on-going disruption on the ferry network. The island remains without a direct mainland ferry after CalMac said the route’s usual vessel – the MV Lord of the Isles – is required to operate services elsewhere. It comes after weeks of ferry disruption across the network, with almost a third of CalMac’s fleet out of action at the start of April. The company says … Continue reading How can South Uist have no ‘mainland’ ferry service when the Skye Bridge offers an alternative that takes the same time?

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As UK Government fails 7 out of 10 targets for England, Scottish Government initiatives push Scotland well ahead of the rest of the UK in preserving nature but this is all they have to criticise it weeks before the Election

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The Guardian’s Severin Carroll today has: MSPs not told about collapse of funding deal for Scottish nature restoration Exclusive: Ministers accused of trying to keep investment firm’s withdrawal from partnership with NatureScot under wraps. A funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told. The Guardian has learned that Aberdeen, the investment firm, decided to withdraw from a partnership with the agency NatureScot to raise at least £100m for conservation projects from commercial and private investors late last year. Scottish government ministers did not disclose that when the Highlands … Continue reading As UK Government fails 7 out of 10 targets for England, Scottish Government initiatives push Scotland well ahead of the rest of the UK in preserving nature but this is all they have to criticise it weeks before the Election

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Scotland subsidises its ferries far more than any other country, subsidises island life far more than any other part and the Mull service is 98% reliable for half empty vehicle decks!

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Depopulation is one of the biggest population that the Hebrides faces (sic) and not having a functioning ferry service only exacerbates that. You know, To try and live your life where you cannot come and go when you need to, that is why many people now decide they cannot live out their lives in the Hebrides. Joe Reade, from Somerset, Taster-in-Chief at the Island Bakery on Mull may be the man who first launched my research to find out how other countries did it after wondering himself if CalMac might be the ‘worst in the world.‘ I feel sure it … Continue reading Scotland subsidises its ferries far more than any other country, subsidises island life far more than any other part and the Mull service is 98% reliable for half empty vehicle decks!

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‘Everyone who dies on this street dies of cancer’ – why do only German researchers agree with locals who say this kind of thing?

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From the New Hampshire Bulletin, yesterday: In the late 1970s, when Seabrook resident David Wright was about 9 years old, his father began bringing him along to protest the construction of a nuclear power plant across the marsh from their family home. Some locals were fired up. “They didn’t want a reactor in their backyard,” Wright said. Thousands who shared that sentiment turned out in the Seabrook area for a series of acts of civil disobedience during the plant’s construction, culminating in the May 1, 1977, detention of more than 1,400 protestors. At the time, Rolling Stone reported, the event ranked … Continue reading ‘Everyone who dies on this street dies of cancer’ – why do only German researchers agree with locals who say this kind of thing?