Environment

Reporting on Scotland’s land, water, climate, biodiversity, conservation, pollution, agriculture and natural heritage.

78050148 offshore oil rig drilling platforms off the coastline near invergordon in scotland

Scotland’s Climate Plan Did Not Account for the Fossil-Fuel Emissions of Its New Data-Centre Boom

EDITORIAL UPDATE: A planning application has now been submitted for a proposed £16.5 billion hyperscale data centre at the former Chapelcross nuclear power station site near Annan. The project is described as having a capacity of 1GW, with developers saying it could support 750

Environment·Featured

Bluetongue Zone Goes Nationwide in Scotland as H5N5 Returns to Lewis

Modern Scot reported in August that Scotland’s first bluetongue cluster was confined to four holdings near Newton Stewart. There are now 41 affected holdings, the whole country has been placed inside one restricted zone, and a separate H5N5 avian-influenza outbreak has imposed new legal

Scotland’s 3G Pitches May Lose Up to 1,772 Tonnes of Microplastic a Year as New Sites Are Still Funded

Artificial football turf in Scotland may be losing between 443 and 1,772 tonnes of microplastic into

Scotland Knows the Pesticides It Uses, But Less About Where They Go

Almost every hectare of Scotland’s arable farmland received a pesticide treatment in 2024. The country’s arable

89715286 green moss on a tree trunk old bark creeping spore green plant without roots and flowers

Scientists Will Search for the Peat Moss That Survives Drought

A new £2.7 million research programme led from Scotland will search wild Sphagnum populations across Britain

Environment

PFAS Detected at Nearly 90% of Scottish Surface-Water Sites Sampled by SEPA

Scotland’s first expanded PFAS scoping programme tested 29 compounds at 97 surface-water and 37 groundwater locations. PFAS were detected at just under

by Andrew Robertson

23 September 2026

69535834 on the road on scotlands east coast

Environment

Autumn Rain Returns but Eastern Scotland’s Rivers Remain in Significant Water Scarcity

Four areas of eastern Scotland remain at the highest level of SEPA’s water-scarcity system despite the return of rain, with 136 abstraction

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

70228196 north american beaver castor canadensis wild animal swimming dam building

Environment

Scotland Moves 35 Beavers to New Homes as 22 Are Killed Under Licence

Scotland is deliberately expanding its beaver population into new Highland catchments while continuing to remove animals from farmland and other conflict sites.

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

Environment

A Grangemouth Factory Is Trying to Make Omega-3 Without Catching Fish

SEPA is considering a permit for a new industrial process at Earls Road in Grangemouth that would produce omega-3-rich material from microalgae

by Editorial Team

10 September 2026

Environment·Featured

In 2017, Scotland Had 61 Salmon Stocks Rated Good. For 2027, Only 22 Are Left

Scotland’s latest assessment of wild Atlantic salmon shows a ten-year deterioration across much of the country. For the 2017 angling season, 61

by LM Bruce

10 September 2026

Environment

Scotland’s Peatlands Are Becoming Financial Assets

New restoration contracts appeared this week for peatland on North Uist and in the Highlands. Behind the engineering work is an emerging

by Editorial Team

3 September 2026

Environment

For Generations Scotland Has Burned Its Moors. From 15 September, It Will Need Permission.

One of Scotland’s oldest forms of land management is about to enter a new legal system. From 15 September, every act of

by John Campbell

3 September 2026

Environment

Third Just Transition Commission Established With Adaptation Remit Until 2031

The Scottish Government has established a third Just Transition Commission, running until 2031. The new Commission will focus on adaptation as well

by Editorial Team

27 August 2026

58866980 fresh morning scene with water flowing from a kitchen faucet

Environment·Featured

Scotland’s Drinking Water Quality Fell Slightly In 2025 As Complaints Rose

Regulatory testing found that 99.88 per cent of samples taken from consumers’ taps met required standards in 2025. The Drinking Water Quality

by Andrew Robertson

27 August 2026

Environment·Featured

SEPA Plans to Stop Sending Draft Pollution Permit Decisions to People Who Object

Scotland’s environmental regulator is proposing to stop routinely sending draft permit decisions to people who have already objected to or commented on

by Editorial Team

19 August 2026

Scientists collect carcasses at a wind energy facility as part of research to estimate wildlife mortality. Image: Manuela Huso, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), public domain

Environment·Featured

NatureScot Challenges Wind-Farm Bird Model as Scotland’s Own Records Show 71 Raptor Deaths

A study part-funded by NatureScot models substantial long-term effects from wind-turbine collisions on hen harriers and golden eagles in the Flow Country.

by Editorial Team

17 August 2026

Environment·Featured

Scottish Government Said Wind-Farm Woodland Loss Was ‘Small’. FLS Says It Cannot Calculate It

Forestry and Land Scotland has disclosed the individual developments associated with more than 8,600 hectares of forestry felling on Scotland’s national estate,

by LM Bruce

10 August 2026

Environment

Scotland Delays Its Private-Jet Levy While Empty Private Jets Remain Beyond Reach

Ministers say private-jet users should pay a fair share because their emissions per passenger are disproportionately high. Yet Scotland’s additional levy will

by LM Bruce

6 August 2026

Environment

Scotland Launches £15 Million Flood Fund After Years Of Delayed And Rising-Cost Schemes

The Scottish Government has launched a £15 million flood-resilience fund, but communities will not begin receiving money for local projects until 2027

by John Campbell

3 August 2026

Charred eggshell fragments lie on burned ground at Abernethy following the July 2026 | Credit: RSPB Scotland

Environment·Featured·Highland

What Will Happen To The Animals Caught In The Cairngorms Wildfire?

Some will have escaped. Others could not. As firefighters continue working across Glenmore and Abernethy, the true cost to wildlife remains hidden

by LM Bruce

27 July 2026

Kinghorn Beach. Image: Bill Kasman / Geograph Britain and Ireland, CC BY-SA 2.0

Environment·Featured·Fife

Kinghorn Faces Permanent Bathing Warning As Pollution Source Remains Unresolved

Kinghorn Harbour Beach is carrying a fourth consecutive Poor classification, while bacterial pollution in the burn crossing the sand has prompted a

by John Campbell

27 July 2026

Environment·Featured·Highland

Cairngorms Wildfire Declared Major Incident As Nethy Bridge Is Evacuated

An entire Highland village has been evacuated after strengthening winds drove a long-running wildfire towards Nethy Bridge, turning an operation that had

by LM Bruce

25 July 2026

Environment·West Lothian

Livingston Recycling Firm Secures £3.5 Million Public Grant For Plastics Technology

ReVentas will expand its Livingston pilot plant as it works towards commercial deployment of a solvent-based process for difficult plastic waste, although

by Editorial Team

24 July 2026

Environment·West Dunbartonshire

Balloch Castle Ash Shortlisted For UK Tree Of The Year After Surviving Storms, Disease And Crowds

The veteran ash on the southern shore of Loch Lomond has endured hurricane-force winds, a suspected lightning strike, ash dieback and generations

by Editorial Team

24 July 2026

Loch Ness. The Loch Kemp proposal would use Loch Ness as its lower reservoir and Loch Kemp as the upper storage body

Environment·Featured·Scottish News

Scotland’s Glens May Become Britain’s Energy Battery

Scotland’s environmental regulator is preparing new guidance for large hydropower and pumped-storage schemes at the point when some of the largest proposed

by Andrew Robertson

10 July 2026

Environment·Scottish News

The Forth’s Lost Oyster Beds Are Being Brought Back to Life

The Firth of Forth once held one of Scotland’s great natural food systems. Long before modern conservation language, before “blue carbon” and

by Editorial Team

9 July 2026

Environment·Featured·Scottish News

Scots Asked to Search 700 Miles of Coast for One of Britain’s Rarest Insects

A conservation project is asking people along Scotland’s east coast to help find wood sage and the bordered brown lacewing, one of

by Andrew Robertson

3 June 2026

Environment·Highland·Scottish News

The Cairngorms Farmer, the Carbon Land Rush and the Scottish Hillsides Being Bought for Offsets

A tenant farmer’s warning about land prices in the Cairngorms has become part of a wider Scottish argument over carbon markets, natural

by Editorial Team

1 June 2026

99638090 modern data center campus with cooling towers and hydroelectric dam in mountain valley

Environment·Featured·Scottish News

Paper, Trees and Hyperscale Data Centres: Scotland’s New Environmental Questions

For years, the public was told that moving from paper to digital was an obvious environmental gain. Less printing, fewer trees cut,

by John Campbell

1 June 2026

Argyll and Bute·Environment·Highland·Na h-Eileanan Siar·North Ayrshire·Scottish News

The Rare Rainforest on Scotland’s Western Edge

Scotland’s temperate rainforest survives in fragments along the wet western edge of the country, from Argyll and Lochaber to Wester Ross, Skye

by LM Bruce

29 May 2026

Argyll and Bute·Dumfries and Galloway·East Lothian·Environment·Highland·Moray·North Ayrshire·Scottish News

Scotland’s Fire Season Moves Into New Territory

Scotland recorded its most severe wildfire season in 2025, with major fires across moorland, peatland and woodland. A new national action plan

by Andrew Robertson

29 May 2026

51180018 farmer spraying pesticide sprayer garden farm vegetable garden spraying protection plant field rows agriculture fertilizer spraying insecticide fungicide herbicide

Environment·Featured·Scottish Borders·Scottish News

Scottish Borders Council Tests Whether Weed Control Can Move Beyond Glyphosate

Scottish Borders Council is to consider a pilot comparing chemical free weed control with its current glyphosate based approach in Galashiels and

by Andrew Robertson

20 May 2026

63362900 close up of a green recycling bin filled with recyclable materials in a residential area

Angus·Environment·Scottish News

Forfar Recycling Trial Puts Angus At Front Of Scottish Waste Reform

A Forfar pilot described by Angus Council as the first of its kind in Scotland will be rolled out to other Angus

by Andrew Robertson

12 May 2026

View along Glen Affric, with a bit of Loch Affric visible to right

Environment·Highland

Scotland’s Rarest Fern Returns To Glen Affric After A Victorian Obsession Nearly Erased It

Forestry and Land Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh have planted 250 oblong woodsia ferns on a Highland scree slope. The

by LM Bruce

4 May 2026

91346178 helmsdale harbor on the east coast of scotland (1)

Environment·Featured·Scottish News

Scotland’s Salmon and Sea Trout Catches Fall to Historic Lows in 2025

Official statistics released this morning record the weakest salmon returns in modern Scottish records, with total catches in 2025 falling to their

by Andrew Robertson

29 April 2026

Environment·Scottish Borders·Scottish News

Borders Awards Narrow Focus to Biodiversity and Sustainability

There is no shortage of activity across the Scottish Borders, but less of it has been entering formal competition. A revised approach

by Andrew Robertson

29 April 2026

85281020 the river north esk through the rocks of solitude near edzell in angus scotland salmon often seen leaping to their spawning ground a challenge for canoeing or kayaking

Angus·Environment·Scottish News

Angus Maps Climate Risks as Warmer Winters and Stronger Storms Loom

A new council assessment sets out how climate change is expected to reshape Angus, identifying key hazards, vulnerable groups and practical steps

by Andrew Robertson

21 April 2026

99284136 the scots pine view to the head

Environment·Highland·Scottish News

Call for Stronger Action to Protect Scotland’s Rainforests as Election Approaches

A campaign to restore and expand Scotland’s temperate rainforest has intensified ahead of the Scottish Parliament election, with environmental groups urging ministers

by Andrew Robertson

7 April 2026

Environment·Scottish News

Scotland’s Climate Intelligence System and the Quiet Rise of Data Led Governance

Across Scotland, a new layer of decision making infrastructure is taking hold inside local government. It does not campaign, it does not

by Editorial Team

3 April 2026

64958954 woman in winter breathing fresh air on the beach

Argyll and Bute·Environment·Scottish News

Argyll and Bute Records Strong Air Quality Results in 2025 Report

Air quality across Argyll and Bute remained well within national limits throughout 2025, according to the council’s latest annual progress report. The

by Andrew Robertson

3 April 2026

Neil Osborne, Highland Council’s Climate Change & Energy Manager pictured receiving the award

Environment·Highland·Scottish News

Highland Council Secures National Recognition for Climate and Energy Leadership

Highland Council has been recognised on the national stage after its Climate and Energy Team secured a major win at the APSE

by Andrew Robertson

31 March 2026

51492728 a wind turbine on a green renewable energy farm on a sunny day

Environment·Scottish News

Scotland Sets Out Sweeping Climate Blueprint to 2040

The Scottish Government has unveiled an expansive new roadmap to net zero, setting out more than 150 measures designed not merely to

by Andrew Robertson

24 March 2026

Dumfries and Galloway·Environment·Scottish News

Environmental Surveys Begin Along River Nith Ahead of Flood Protection Work

Dumfries and Galloway Council launches major ecological assessment to safeguard wildlife during construction Dumfries and Galloway Council has begun a series of

by Andrew Robertson

8 April 2025