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Climate change and rural Scotland - new film explores possible futures
What impact could climate change have on rural Scotland? What will life in our rural areas be like in the year 2050? What will changes in weather, energy production and food production mean for rural Scotland? You can see some of the possibilities in a thought-provoking new film made by the Macaulay Institute.‘Choosing our Tomorrows’ has three possible scenarios for rural Scotland’s future, seen through the video diaries of a farming family in 2050. The film is an attempt to stimulate wider debate around the issues of climate change and our responses to it.
In the Business as Usual scenario global responses to climate change were too little, too late and the family have to cope with dramatic weather change – droughts in the summer, floods in the winter and powerful storms. Many people from southern Europe have had to flee to Scotland to avoid the heat. Food costs and property costs are high.
In the Living off the Land scenario Scotland has embraced nuclear power to produce electricity and every available part of the countryside is being farmed in an attempt to feed the anticipated 9 billion people in the world. People don’t live in rural areas and the countryside is compared to a big factory.
In the No Place Like Home scenario there has been a turn to localisation with food and renewable energy being bought from local farms. There is reduced commuting, more working from home and no flying anywhere.
You can watch Choosing our Tomorrows on the Macaulay Institute website. Each member of the family, farmer Jack, his wife Beth and their daughter Sally, have a diary for each scenario.
In the coming weeks the Macaulay Institute hope to produce some notes to go along with the film so it can be used as a classroom resource. You can find out more on the Macaulay Institute website or by emailing enquiries@macaulay.ac.uk.
Climate change and rural life – what do you think?
What do you think about the scenarios dealt with in the Choosing our Tomorrows film? Which of these scenarios do you think is most likely? What do you think rural Scotland will be like in 2050? Do you have something to say on any of the issues raised – from rising food costs and biofuels to nuclear power and renewable energy to local food co-operatives? You can share your thoughts by adding a comment to this article.
- Source
- Macaulay Institute
- Date
- 16-Jul-2008
- Categories
- COUNTRYSIDE, All Scotland, News - General, News - Top Story
Not the future
18-Jul-2008 @ 19:23PM
Michael Johnston
I was lucky enough to see these at the Highland. The first is Scotland 5 years ago, the second is the US and Canada today and the third is a propaganda version of Stalinist collective farming. None of these has any merit or basis in reality for the challenges facing rural Scotland today. Fortunately the future is decided by a combination of the talent of the rural workforce resources available and market forces, idiotic films have no part in it.