South Uist climate
campaigners to meet MSP

South Uist climate campaigners to meet MSP

Local residents from South Uist will meet Alasdair Allan, MSP for the Western Isles, and take him on a tour of the island to show him and discuss the effects of coastal erosion, rising sea levels and more frequent and severe weather events.

The tour, on Sunday March 28 will visit various areas including Hallan, Kilphedar, Ludag, Stoneybridge and Locheynort.

Residents in South Uist are concerned about the impacts of climate change on the island and on locals’ ability to fish, croft and crop. They want the Scottish Government to take action to prevent further loss of land, livelihoods and life.

Due to increased winter rainfall and more severe weather events on South Uist, the low-lying islands are now more vulnerable to flooding. Residents are concerned that unless better drainage and defence systems are installed, South Uist could eventually split, making much of it uninhabitable.

In 2005, three generations of the one family were tragically washed off a causeway in South Uist by a freak wave caused by a storm surge. The residents are concerned that, despite this, progress on installing better sea defences has not yet been made. They want to see the development of early warning systems for dangerous areas to prevent future loss of life, as experts say winter weather conditions are set to get worse.

These concerns were initially expressed at Scotland’s first Climate Hearing, hosted by Oxfam Scotland on the island back in November. Locals subsequently took their concerns to Alasdair Allan MSP at the Scottish Parliament, resulting in this site visit. Alasdair Allan has also written to all of the residents on the island asking for their views on coastal erosion and planning for extreme weather events.

Residents on the tour will include: Seumas MacDonald (former crofter), Donald Campbell (loch fisherman) and Ronald MacKinnon (chairman of Lochboisdale Community Council). They will be accompanied by Caluna Campbell and Jim Boyle from Oxfam Scotland and also community groups from Glasgow who are supporting their campaign.

It is predicted that by 2030, South Uist will experience warmer and wetter winters, wetter springs and autumns, warmer and drier summers, and a decrease in cloud coverage in all seasons except summer and that by 2080, sea levels will have risen by at least 37cm.