Friday June 12th 2026
A storm caused serious flooding at Mill Road in Bathgate at the end of October last year (copyright: Reach)
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
Europe is the fastest warming continent on earth, West Lothian Councillors heard this week.
But after what has become the usual June of wind and downpours one councillor told a meeting that despite all the talk of global warming she was “frozen”.
Conservative Alison Adamson raised the point at a meeting of the Environment and Sustainability PDSP- held on a blustery and showery Livingston day.
Roisin Urquhart, a climate change officer with the council, delivered the quarterly Climate change update to the meeting.
The report detailed: “The European State of the Climate (ESOTC) report for 2025 has now been published and it concludes that Europe is the fastest warming continent on Earth. Europe is warming at a rate more than twice as fast as the global average.”
It added: “At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025. Sub Arctic Norway, Sweden and Finland recorded their worst heatwave on record with 21 straight days and temperatures exceeding 30°C within the Arctic Circle.”
Changing weather patterns are one of the key causes of the warming along with reduced pollution which has allowed greater solar penetration in northern Europe. The Arctic region is also the fastest warming region .
Councillor Adamson: “In the middle of June I’m absolutely frozen and I’m still wearing a winter jacket. So global warming I’m finding great difficulty with. I’m sure other people are too.
“I have just looked at my phone and it’s 11 degrees and it feels like seven degrees. When we talk about global warning, I’m sorry but what I’ve noticed is that it’s getting colder here in the summer.”
Councillor Adamson also suggested that while weather forecasts were more detailed they were less accurate in the past, and the weather more erratic. She acknowledge that West Lothian and Scotland were doing more to reduce climate damage but added: “I feel that those of us that are doing the right things are not getting any of the benefits, so it’s frustrating.”
Councillor Susan Manion, Labour, said: “It’s not just about the heat, it’s about the extremities of both, more water and rain. We really need to be clear about what global emissions are. Anyone who has family further south in this country will know the impact it is having on them with drought and extreme heat.”
She also highlighted parts of the world where whole communities were having to relocate because of changing climate.
Ms Urquhart’s update added: “Councils are central to delivering a place‑based approach, tailoring climate action to local social, economic and environmental needs. Local authorities are expected to help turn national policy into local implementation and support community‑level climate action. Local authorities are expected to collaborate with: Climate Action Hubs, Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) and the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service (SCIS).
Local authorities are listed as the primary delivery bodies of:
– Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies;
– zero-emissions bus fleets;
– active and sustainable travel investment, and;
– implementation of the Transport Open Data Act 2019.
