Alan Stewart runs a sled dog centre in Scotland but his business is facing the threat of increasing temperatures and disappearing snow. © WWF UK

Alan Stewart was born in Glasgow in 1956. He was brought up in the fishing village Ardrishaig, Argyll on the West coast of Scotland. Since his teenage years Alan has been into Scuba Diving and Deep Saturation Diving, working for professional diving companies on the North West Shelf, in Middle East countries, in the North Sea, in India and a number of African countries, e.g. Angola, Congo and Nigeria.

He started running sled dogs around 15 years ago as a hobby, but has run it as a business for the last 2.5 years. He has raced all over the world with sled dogs — from Argentina and Chile to North America and many parts of Europe. Alan and his wife Fiona run the only sled dog centre in the UK which is based at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains, at a remote cottage.

The cottage dates back to the 1800s, and the last man who lived in it was a Finn who brought Reindeer into Scotland. As far as you can see from the front door are mountains and wildlife all around. Herds of wild red deer come to the front door most days. And every year there is a breeding pair of ospreys only 200 metres from Alan's home.

Alan tells us:

"I own the Cairngorm Sleddog Centre in Scotland, the first of its kind in the UK. I have 30 dogs and set up business about two and a half years ago, pulling tourists in dog sleds around tracks in the Cairngorm Mountains.

I am very concerned about climate change, particularly as it has a dramatic impact on the sport of sled dog racing. This year the biggest race in the world - in Alaska - couldn't start in some places because of a lack of snow. "

The snow disappears in front of our eyes within an hour
"In Scotland, we don't run dogs in the summer. We have a five to six month window which is definitely closing. Over the last two and a half years, and especially this year, there's been an unbelievable change due to global warming.

I ran about 40 courses this year with people from all over the UK. But three or four times now I've had to stop the course because within the hour the temperature changes so quickly that the snow disappears in front of us.

I started running sled dogs about 15 years ago as a hobby. I remember when I was catching temperatures of minus 18 up here which would last for a week. We have none of that now. The coldest we've had all winter is minus one or two — the pipes don't even freeze like they used to.

My main problem financially is the trails. If there's no snow, I can run sled dogs on specialised cartwheels and take people out on training runs. But the weather is hammering the trails. The rain keeps on hitting them and we continuously have to renew miles and miles of our trails — they're never getting a chance to dry out."

Siberian huskies are moulting in the middle of winter
"I've seen a lot of things that are changing in Scotland over the last few years due to the weather. We've got Ospreys nesting here close to us and I've seen them affected by the rain. I've seen flies in the middle of winter because the place is so warm. The craziest thing of all is that I've got Siberian huskies moulting in the middle of winter — that tells you what nature is saying to them, to us.

Climate change is not just affecting wildlife and habitats — it's impacting on people and their livelihoods right across Europe.

That's why I'm here today to tell you my story — and to show support for WWF's campaign. You have the power to preserve my way of life. Please act before it's too late."


Scientific Background

Since the start of the 1990s, the UK has experienced nearly three times as many extremely warm months as in previous decades. By 2080, average annual temperatures in the UK could rise by 2 to 3.5°C degrees, and by up to 5°C in some areas. Extreme heat in summer puts public health at particular risk. During just nine days in August 2003, more than 2,000 people in the UK died as a result of the heatwave. The UK Department of Health predicts a 250 percent increase in heat-related summer deaths by 2050. Apart from the warming trend, weather in the UK seems to be becoming increasingly chaotic and unpredictable. In June 2005, flash floods caused roads and bridges in North Yorkshire to be washed away. Sea levels in the south of the country are expected to continue rising by as much as 50cm by 2050 and 86 cm during the 2080s. Combined with the predicted increase in heavy rainstorms, this is likely to double the number of people at high risk of flooding to nearly 3.5 million.

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