Scotland’s History that is Being Lost to Climate Change

The Scottish landscape has been naturally changing for centuries, but the process has been accelerated by global warming, and Scotland’s culture is at risk.

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Words by Thomas McCann

A report carried out by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) show that nearly thirty sites in their care are set to be damaged, altered or lost as a result of climate change.

The tales of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and Boudica are just some of the more well-known stories throughout Scottish history. The architecture of their times can still be found today, giving locals, tourists and history buffs a guided tour of the country’s remarkable and sometimes bloody past.

Mairi Davies, who contributed to the report, spoke about the role of HES and the effects climate change are having on their sites.

“We’re looking after these properties on behalf of the people of Scotland and we want to ensure that they’re there for future generations to enjoy but also for future generations to access.”

“When you’re dealing with archaeological, cultural heritage, whatever you want to call it, there’s no one size fits all solution to this, every site is different and has different challenges.”

Newark Castle is one of the sites that could be at risk.

The affects of climate change are reshaping Scotland’s landscape. By the 2050s there will likely be a multitude of things to improve quality of life, such as flying cars, robot butlers and a version of YouTube that will keep playing your music when you close the tab. But for the natural world, there will be no such luck, provided the predictions are correct (the following information is a projection based on a high emissions scenario). The sea level is expected to rise by more than 16cm, summer temperatures will increase by almost 3 degrees celsius and precipitation is the winter will increase by 16%. In short, flood, fire and erosion, all of them dangerous occurrences for sites of historical significance.

An example of how dramatically the landscape can shift would be Old Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries and Galloway. When the castle was built, some time in the 13th century, it had a harbour connecting it to a tidal inlet. That same harbour today is now 200m inland, and relatively devoid of purpose. Kilchurn Castle was once situated on an island on Loch Awe, and is now connected to the mainland.

Although, it is worth mentioning that these culture spots have faced challenges and have required upkeep since before the times of climate change. The problems they face occur naturally, but global warming has caused these problems to become more severe, which is a challenge that Mairi and others at the HES are having to adapt to.

“Even just keeping up with the day-to-day maintenance can be challenging as well when things change faster than they did in the past.”

Elcho Castle is also listed in the HES report.

Places such as Fort George, Castle Sween and Newark Castle are at risk from coastal erosion, which will be accelerated by irregular and heavy rainfall. Also, this heavy rainfall can create more precarious terrain, Dundonald Castle, Spynie Palace and St Blane’s Church are just a few of the sites in the care of HES that are set to be damaged by ”slope instability”.

The at the moment are about how long these operation can continue to finance the renovation and protection of these sites. Difficult decisions need to be made, and Mairi gave some insight into the debates that are being had.

“Do we hang onto everything for dear life and fight against climate change? Or do we accept that in some cases, the right thing may be to let a site go?”

“I think it’s something that we want to open as a topic of discussion and it’s a conversation that’s happened at other sites not in Historic Environment Scotland.”

“There’s no one answer I suppose.”

With the Scottish cultural industry facing struggles to continuously restore these sites, it creates the possibility that some of them could be left behind. The projections are based on a high-emission scenario, but climate change information can quickly go out of date. Meaning the situation is likely more urgent than was anticipated in the HES report, and the damages of climate change need to be reversed in order to secure the safety of Scotland’s history.