On the 2nd June, CREW, ClimateXChange, Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government brought together stakeholders from across the public, research, policy and third sectors to explore the impacts of climate change, including flooding, on mental health and wellbeing.
Scotland faces growing and complex risks from climate-related flooding, which is increasingly recognised as a significant public health challenge. Beyond physical damage, flooding has long-lasting impacts on mental health and wellbeing, affecting individuals, communities, and local services. These impacts can persist well beyond the immediate event, exacerbating existing inequalities and placing additional pressure on health and social care systems.
Flooding in Scotland is increasing, yet many people are unaware of their risk, and few have taken steps to protect their homes. This project therefore co‑designed a new resource that enables households to create a bespoke flood action plan.
This project explored the potential in Scotland to capture and reuse surface water in urban areas for non-potable purposes.
The research focused on improving understanding of aspects such as potential sources and place-based solutions, current regulatory requirements, and environmental and socio-economic drivers as important factors to enable a transition to widespread surface water reuse in Scotland.
Applicants must confirm compliance with institutional AI policies, disclose any AI tools used, describe their intended use, and outline how risks (e.g. bias, data protection, accuracy) will be mitigated. All AI use must be appropriately acknowledged in the application and project outputs.
Applicants who intend to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as part of a project must provide the following information:
Scotland’s critical water infrastructure faces growing pressure from urban expansion and rising water demands compounded by climate change. These challenges highlight the urgent need to strengthen the resilience of our water resources. Learning from diverse perspectives and practical examples is essential as Scotland moves from traditional surface water collection and treatment systems toward greater surface water reuse.
Flooding is one of the most serious climate-related risks facing Scotland, with events expected to become more frequent and severe. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) plays a vital role in forecasting floods, issuing warnings, and helping communities prepare. Exciting new research led by the University of Strathclyde and funded by CREW explored how cutting-edge technologies could strengthen these efforts.
CREW is governed according to key policy areas in Scotland’s water sector including flooding, water scarcity, coastal erosion, catchment management, rural sustainability, water quality and health, and resource recovery. Cross-cutting activities focus on adapting to climate change, land use and urbanisation, promoting the circular economy, a post-COVID green recovery, the move to net zero and a just transition for communities.
All our work has an overarching consideration of maximising the benefits of research to society and the environment.
CREW projects originate from our water policy, regulatory and industry partners as need arises. The organisations that can request work through CREW are: Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Drinking Water Quality Regulator, Scottish Water, NatureScot, Scottish Canals, Food Standards Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Consumer Scotland and Public Health Scotland.
A recent CREW project led by The James Hutton Institute, in collaboration with Scotland’s Rural College, the University of Aberdeen, and the British Geological Survey, highlighted a pressing issue for Scotland: the increasing likelihood and duration of water scarcity events due to climate change. This project, focused on the impact of these changes on three critical sectors—crop production, livestock farming, and distilleries.