Wild fires are raging even within the Arctic Circle
Global climate change is responsible for simultaneous disasters happening across the world, campaigners claim.
A heatwave this summer has seen the highest ever temperature recorded in Glasgow, and water supplies drying up in Moray, while large parts of the UK bakes.
Across the world, wildfires in Greece killed at least 60 people, hundreds dead or missing after flash floods in Laos collapsed a dam, Japan has declared its heatwave a natural disaster, after 65 deaths in a week and forest fires in Sweden are burning inside the Arctic Circle.
Record breaking temperatures have been also been recorded across the world over the last month, including Ottawa, Canada; Southern California; Ouargla, Algeria; Tibilisi, Georgia; Tokyo, Japan; Sydney, Australia.
Commenting on the crises, Friends of the Earth Scotland climate campaigner Caroline Rance said: “There is no doubt that the prolonged extreme temperatures and floods we are witnessing around the world right now are a result of climate change.
“Temperature records are being broken across the UK and globally, exactly as climate science has long warned, and with devastating consequences.
“We can no longer ignore the impacts of our changing climate, as wildfires rage in the Arctic Circle. Increased global warming means that events like these will become much more powerful and more frequent in future, and nowhere, including Scotland, will be immune from the impacts.
“Both these headline-grabbing events and the slow motion disasters, such as droughts leading to crop failures, show that we have no time to waste in cutting climate emissions. We cannot afford to delay or pretend that business as usual is still an option, decisions must be made today to significantly cut our emissions within the next decade.”
Campaigners have said Scottish Government plans to tackle climate change are too weak and mean Scotland will miss the opportunity to end its contribution to climate change within a generation.
Charities have said the Scottish Government’s draft climate change bill does not live up to the government's rhetoric on the issue.
It sets a target of reducing carbon emissions by half by 2050, instead campaigners say it should be setting a date for the country becoming carbon neutral.
Rance added: “The Scottish Government’s recent proposals for a new climate law do almost nothing to increase action within the next ten years, despite this being the most crucial time for climate action.
“MSPs from across the parliament must strengthen the new law, and take action now for a rapid and just transition to a zero carbon economy."
Environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: "Our climate change bill sets out our commitment to reduce emissions by 100% with ambitious interim targets which strengthen Scotland's world-leading position on climate change.
"Our 90% target will be tougher even than the 100% goal set by a handful of other countries, because our legislation will set more demanding, legally-binding, annual targets covering every sector of our economy.
"By 2030, we will cut emissions by two-thirds and, unlike other nations, we will not use carbon offsetting, where other countries are paid to cut emissions for us, to achieve our goal."
