CLIMATE campaigners have warned that wildfires – like a blaze which tore through gorse on Arthur’s Seat at the weekend – will become the “new normal” because of global warming.
Firefighters were called to tackle the blaze on the ancient extinct volcano in Edinburgh on Sunday and the fire service believes that it was caused by human activity.
The fire has since been brought under control but activists have said that it should be cause for concern.
Robert Palmer, the deputy director of pressure group Uplift, said: “The wildfire at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, and the ongoing heath blaze in Dorset, are really worrying. Wildfires like these are becoming more likely because of climate change.
“The world is on fire, with wildfires in France and Greece, which have both claimed lives, and there is a megablaze in California. We’re facing our fourth heatwave of the summer and have only just started to recover from Storm Floris.
“These are just the latest examples of extreme weather becoming the ‘new normal’, which the Met office has said is becoming more common because of climate change, which in turn is driven by burning fossil fuels.”
Palmer said that the fire helped illustrate Uplift’s arguments against the Rosebank oil field.
The project was approved in 2023, but the Court of Session ruled in January this year that the consent was unlawful as it did not take into account the negative effect it going ahead would cause for the environment.
Lauren MacDonald, the lead campaigner at Stop Rosebank, said: “As a Scot, it has been devastating to see the impacts of storms and wildfires across Scotland this year. Now, the iconic Arthur’s Seat is ablaze, in the middle of the Fringe.
“Scotland is experiencing one extreme weather event after another this year, from Storm Eowyn to Scottish Water’s warning of water scarcity and Storm Floris which saw winds of up to 90 mph and had a rare ‘danger to life’ amber warning.
“And of course wildfires which have burned through Scotland’s beautiful landscapes including a National Trust conservation site. All Scots serious about ending climate change know it means no new drilling at the Rosebank oil field.”
