Climate Change and Flood Risk
What does the climate science say?
Scotland's climate is changingThe latest UK climate change projections predict:
- warmer, wetter winters
- hotter drier summers
- more intense rainfall events
- sea levels continuing to rise beyond 2100
What does this mean for flood risk?
The impact of climate change on flood risk will depend on how much global action there is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and on characteristics of the local area.
More rainfall will mean places could flood more often and increase the chance of severe flooding from surface water and rivers. Rising sea levels will increase the risk of flooding from the sea.
- The impacts of climate change will vary from place to place across Scotland
- Communities at lower risk now may become at higher risk of flooding in the future
- Communities already at risk may see worse flooding or flood more often in the future
How can I find out more about future flood risk with climate change?
View a map of future river flood riskView a map of future coastal flood risk
These future flood risk maps are based on a single potential future scenario for the end of this century. This is a high emissions scenario where little or no action is taken to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.
Find out more about SEPA's future flood hazard and risk information