Cleaner Air for Scotland 2: delivery plan

Priority 2: Integrated policy

We ensure that strategies, policies and plans being developed and implemented by central and local government for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and related polices such as noise reduction, are closely co-ordinated and aligned with those for air quality in order to maximise co-benefits.

Our strategic approach includes:

• Update to the Climate Change Plan 2018 – 2032
  Climate Change Plan 2018-2032 - update: strategic environmental assessment - draft - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• The National Planning Framework 4 (in development)
  https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-fourth-national-planning-framework-position-statement/
• The National Transport Strategy 2
  https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/national-transport-strategy-2/
• Transportation: noise action plan
  https://www.gov.scot/publications/transportation-noise-action-plan/
• Scotland's Third Land Use Strategy 2021-2026
  Land use - getting the best from our land: strategy 2021 to 2026 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• Nitrogen Balance Sheet
  Climate change: Nitrogen Balance Sheet - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• Cleaner Air for Scotland Governance Group Report
  CAFS-Climate-Change-Sub-Group-Report.pdf (scottishairquality.scot)
• Climate Ready Scotland
  Climate Ready Scotland: climate change adaptation programme 2019-2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• River basin management plans
  River basin management plans - silage, slurry and anaerobic digestate – improving storage and application: consultation - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Outcomes:

2. We maximise co-benefits between air quality and related policy areas such as climate change, transport, planning and agriculture amongst others to deliver enhanced benefits.

Actions:

Our key short term actions (to 2022)

• The Scottish Government will ensure that actions in the Scottish Government's Climate Change Plan maximise co-benefits for air quality.
• The Scottish Government will ensure that all actions taken by the Scottish Government to address air quality maximise the potential for co-benefits and minimise disbenefits with climate change mitigation and adaptation. The 50 recommendations for maximising co-benefits set out in the CAFS Governance Group climate change report will be used to guide this process. We will work with local authorities and others to ensure that a similar approach is taken at local level.
• The Scottish Government with support from SEPA will ensure that the Scottish Nitrogen Balance Sheet to be established by March 2022, reflects the contributions to air pollution from all sectors of the economy. Also, ensure that the new evidence base from the Balance Sheet is used to inform future policy making around air quality and its alignment with other strategic frameworks. Once established, the Balance Sheet will be reviewed on a regular basis.
• Our key medium term action (to 2024) SEPA will work with local authorities to ensure that noise action plans are closely aligned with air quality action plans to deliver co-benefits. Guidance will be produced to facilitate this.