STORM Arwen in 2021 damaged 16 million trees in Scotland, including the disaster at Dunbar’s John Muir Country Park, but recent tidal swells and heavy rains have delivered a wake-up call: climate change has arrived with colossal force along East Lothian’s coast.

The leading global polluters are China, the US and India, but addressing climate change is still a Scottish Government priority.

Commitment 4 of the Open Government action plan 2021-25 (July 2023 update) focused on climate change, including milestones for progress and how action would be co-created.

The net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2045 will be achieved in a way that is just and fair for everyone, with participation, engagement and collaboration with organisations, institutions, businesses and our diverse communities and households.

What does this mean for East Lothian? The scientific consensus is that global warming impacts on sea levels and unprecedented volumes of rain: as a coastal county, this is our climate emergency.

Edinburgh University professor Simon Tett, explaining that warmer air holds more water, outlines the likelihood of greater frequency and severity of extreme weather as “the price of climate change”. According to Imperial College climate science lecturer Dr Frederike Otto, the evidence now shows that “autumn and winter storms are more damaging due to climate change”. Last week’s exceptional events could become the new normal.

Evidence of ravaging tidal swells is visible from Port Seton, via Gullane and Yellowcraig, to North Berwick to Dunbar. Beach ecosystems and habitats have been wrecked, while exceptional damage to North Berwick’s historic harbour will be costly to repair.

The Open Government action plan was already calling for “collective effort”, explaining the urgency of being aware of the global climate emergency and how Government policy relates to people’s lives: everyone can now take action.

Businesses benefiting from tourism, including short-term let and second-home owners in the coastal towns and villages, could take part in the massive clean-up operation and donate to the fundraising activities needed to repair widespread environmental damage.

I commend warmly those helping where help is needed, including the teams clearing beaches of sea debris that is dense with discarded plastic. Longer-term profound change to our individual choices – how we travel or heat our homes, and what and how we eat – is not optional, it’s imperative.