Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 strategy: progress report

The Scottish Government with support from Public Health Scotland will commission an assessment of actual exposures experienced by a representative sample of the Scottish population, assessing pollution exposures over a realistic activity range during a normal time period.

By end 2024 we will commission research.

An evidence review has been commissioned, focusing on an extensive examination of existing literature to identify realistic assessments of air pollutant exposure that are representative of the Scottish population. We will consider the next steps following completion of the evidence review.

The Scottish Government will undertake a review of nature based and green infrastructure interventions which can benefit air quality, using the outcomes to develop a database of potential solutions.

In 2024 we will commission a literature review with support from the Placemaking Working Group.

We have internally reviewed the evidence on nature-based solutions for air quality. During 2024 we will work with NatureScot to update the air quality information available on their Nature Based Solutions webpages to reflect current evidence, linking to practical examples/ case studies.

The Scottish Government with support from SEPA will implement the National Modelling Framework Regional air quality model to assess the effects of land-use development on local air quality.

SEPA has supported the development and incorporation of features to facilitate air quality and human health assessments in the Air Pollution Assessment Service (APAS) tool. At present JNCC is looking to launch APAS at the end of 2023 or early in 2024. A consortium has been formed to consider next steps for implementation of the APAS tool.

The human health element of the APAS tool will be considered during 2024.

The Scottish Government with support from SEPA will commission research to explore the potential of utilising satellite data to complement air quality monitoring.

In 2025 the Scottish Government will review current research in this area and commission new research if needed.

On track - we are continuing to work towards this milestone.

The Scottish Government will develop a public engagement strategy on air quality in Scotland, taking into account the recommendations from the University of the West of England evidence review.

We are working with stakeholders on the development of a public engagement framework, with a view to publish the framework in 2024.

We have hosted three public engagement workshops and published a 'key behaviours for air quality' report. The outputs will be used to develop the public engagement framework during 2024.

The Scottish Government, Transport Scotland and SEPA will engage with industry to produce guidance on requirements for gaseous and particulate emission from Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM).

In 2025 the Scottish Government with support from Transport Scotland will look to commission research to help quantify the impact of emissions from NRMM on air quality in Scotland. The evidence will be used to inform the next steps.

We have met with Transport Scotland to discuss the next steps in delivering this action. This action is on track for delivery.

Transport Scotland will work to revoke all Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) where trunk roads are the primary contributor to air pollutants.

In 2024 Transport Scotland will meet with the two local authorities where trunk roads contribute to air pollution to discuss key issues.

In 2023, for the second year running, there were no exceedances of the air quality objectives for any pollutant at any automatic monitoring site in Scotland, including the two trunk road AQMAs. The minimum criteria for revocation is three consecutive years of compliance. It is a local authority decision whether to revoke or retain an AQMA (with agreement from the Scottish Government) once the minimum criteria has been met. Transport Scotland will continue to engage with the local authorities with trunk road AQMAs.

The Scottish Government and SEPA will, as part of the review of the Clean Air Act 1993 (see domestic burning actions), address the regulatory gap relating to stack height assessment for SEPA permitted sites.

In 2024 we will work with SEPA and local authorities to review the Clean Air Act 1993. Following the review we will develop a timeline for progressing amendments to the Act if required.

Initial conversations with SEPA and local authorities have taken place to review the Clean Air Act 1993.

We are considering the next steps.

The Scottish Government will commission work to provide further evidence on the proportion of particulate matter emissions and other key pollutants attributable to domestic burning in Scotland, together with geographic and demographic distribution of domestic burning.

A research project led by Scotland's Rural College is focusing on urban air pollution issues, particularly domestic combustion, its effects on particulate matter and the consequences for human health. The research will also look at the geographical distribution of combustion and types of fuel used. For a spatially complete assessment of the contribution of domestic burning to particulate matter an atmospheric chemistry and transport model was used together with the 2022 release of the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) for 2020 to model the contribution from biomass burning. This modelling exercise will be updated with further improved emissions, the resolution will be increased from currently 3 km to 1 km, model performance will be assessed against measurements, and the results will then be made available (by March 2024) for an assessment of health impacts as well as their geographical and demographic distribution (by 2025).

This project has been commissioned as set out in the delivery plan. So far the project has conducted field sampling campaigns at two field sites in Edinburgh (smoke controlled urban) and Fife (rural) to assess the contribution of domestic biomass burning to PM2.5. The project is due to complete in 2026.

The Scottish Government with local authorities will consider what changes are needed to the current permitted development rights for flues for woodburning stoves and biomass boilers.

We consulted on the third phase of the review of permitted development rights (PDR) between May and August 2023. The consultation sought views on potential changes to the current PDR for flues for woodburning stoves and biomass boilers. We are carefully considering the responses received and will use these to inform next steps.

We have considered the consultation responses and further work is underway to look at how more geographically targeted changes to permitted development rights for certain domestic flues for wood burning stoves and biomass boilers could help address the issues of nuisance and air quality.

The Scottish Government will work with local government and SEPA to consider revision of the Clean Air Act 1993.

In 2024 we will work with SEPA and local authorities to review the Clean Air Act 1993. Following the review we will develop a timeline for progressing amendments to the Act if required.

Initial conversations with SEPA and local authorities have taken place to review the Clean Air Act 1993.

We are considering the next steps.

The Scottish Government will support investigation into the method of assessing risk of significant harmful ecological effects from atmospheric nitrogen (nitrogen deposition and elevated concentrations of ammonia and NOx), comparing critical loads/levels with dose-response or other options.

A project led by the James Hutton Institute is focusing on understanding the interactive impacts of nitrogen deposition and climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, particularly carbon and nitrogen cycling. The project will develop indicators of these impacts for use in environmental monitoring on protected areas and in the wider countryside and explore the potential for mitigation of impacts and appropriate methods to apply. The final strand of this project will be modelling of scenarios of nitrogen deposition and climate impacts on natural ecosystems. These modelling frameworks will be used to explore and map risks to biodiversity and ecosystem function for a series of scenarios of future nitrogen deposition rates and climate change, based on socioeconomic, climate change and air quality policy scenarios. The key outputs of this work will be risk maps/visualisations and a scientific manuscript in year five of the project (2026/27). NINE | The James Hutton Institute.

Two reports have been completed that (i) review the interactive effects of climate change and nitrogen deposition on natural ecosystems and (ii) review the mitigation potential of nitrogen deposition in semi-natural ecosystems.

A number of field sites have been surveyed and sampled across different habitat types. Although this is a medium term action, survey work will continue in years 3 and 4 (2024-2026) therefore the action will be complete by 2026.

The Scottish Government with support from SEPA and NatureScot will assess the potential costs of implementing identified improvements to the current site condition monitoring of designated conservation sites, to improve on current methods which don't detect air pollution effects.

A project led by the James Hutton Institute commenced in April 2022. The second work package will consider the mitigation potential for identified nitrogen impacts. Field experiments began in August 2023.

Work package two will use survey work to understand whether peatland restoration and re-wetting ameliorates the effects of nitrogen deposition. Field sites have been selected with surveys due to start later in 2024. This project is due to complete in 2026.

The Scottish Government will take forward, working with businesses that may be affected and other interested parties, potential measures to control the supply of the most polluting domestic fuels – including a ban on house coal, restricting the sulphur content of smokeless fuels to 2%, prohibiting the sale of certain types of wet wood and introduction of a minimum renewables content for manufactured smokeless fuels. In taking forward this work, we are mindful that any new measures would require to be implemented over a period of time, such as a transitional period during which businesses could adapt to the new requirements without disproportionate costs.

An evidence report to inform proposals for introducing a ban on the sale of house coal and high sulphur content manufactured solid fuels in Scotland has been published.

Work is ongoing with discussions held with the Domestic Emissions Working Group.

The Scottish Government and SEPA will continue to share best practice and raise awareness of greenhouse gases and ammonia, and actions that farmers and crofters can take to minimise their environmental impact while improving efficiency.

Good practice to minimise emissions to air will be incorporated into relevant chapters of the updated PEPFAA code. By end of 2023 the slurry and manure management and inorganic and liquid fertilisers chapters of the revised code review are expected to be complete.

In addition a project led by Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) commenced in April 2022, with one of its objectives being the development of tools to encourage farmers, land managers and decision makers to reduce ammonia emissions. Researchers will draw on literature and existing and developing expertise to develop a farm-level ammonia foot printing and decision support tool for ruminant farmers, demonstrating the benefits of mitigation interventions on commercial farms. In March 2024 recruitment for farm case studies will begin.

Both of the relevant PEPFAA code chapters have now been updated and published, and can be found here PEPFAA- Code of Good Practice - Farming and Water Scotland

In the first two years of the SRUC project a meta-analysis has been undertaken to assess the trade-offs between ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) with various mitigation measures. A spreadsheet based decision support tool has been developed to assess ammonia emissions from livestock and land use practices. In years 3-5 (2024-2027) of the project the tool will be tested on a number of SRUC's research farms to aid further refinement and assess on farm trade-offs in ammonia and GHG emissions. In addition, a scoping study will be completed that details the available and emerging technologies for measuring ammonia emissions.

The Scottish Government will consider options to reduce emissions from large scale units in consultation with the agricultural sector, aligning with broader policy development around future rural support.

Early 2024 we will discuss with the CAFS2 Agriculture and Environment Working Group and consider options.

As part of the consultation on the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations (ended 30 March), we sought views on options for reducing ammonia emissions for livestock farms. We are assessing the consultation responses and will be working with stakeholders to take forward any recommendations.

Public bodies should incorporate travel from employee commute as part of their corporate carbon footprint and will report these emissions via their public bodies duties reporting.

Scottish Government guidance to public bodies - Public Sector Leadership on the Global Climate Emergency published in Oct 2021 - says that it is expected as a matter of best practice that public bodies should have targets to reduce emissions from commuting and the guidance makes suggestions for how public bodies might influence and measure commuting emissions. The Scottish Government is developing new statutory guidance on public bodies' climate change duties and climate change reporting to be published in 2025.

On track for completion by 2025.

Transport Scotland will work to more fully understand the role of non-electrification routes to decarbonising transport – to lead to a better-defined wider policy position that complements existing electrification work streams. We will explore alternative fuels' potential to power certain vehicle types in the short, medium and long term, whilst still contributing to Scotland's statutory climate change targets.

Transport Scotland is working with Scottish Enterprise to consider the place of low carbon fuels such as biomethane, in our transport system, (including road transport, as well as harder to decarbonise non-road modes of transport). Transport Scotland recently funded a study looking at the opportunities for Scotland in low carbon fuels. The conclusion was that there were potential opportunities for Scotland in sustainable aviation fuel production and maritime decarbonisation in particular, in the long term, with hydrogen as a feedstock. However no specific opportunities in low carbon fuels for road transport were identified at this time. The draft Energy Strategy & Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) was published 10 January 2023. Consultation closed 9 May 2023 . Over 1500 responses were received. These are currently being independently analysed and the results will be taken into account as we move towards finalisation of the ESJTP in due course.

Following consultation last year, the independent analysis was published in September 2023 and is being taken into account with the finalised ESJTP due to be published by summer 2024.

The Scottish Government with support from SEPA will initiate a review on progress with implementing CAFS2 during 2024, with a view to having a further version of Scotland's air quality strategy in place by the end of 2025.

We will develop a timeline with the CAFS2 Delivery and Working Groups and publish the revised timeline in the next progress report.

We have agreed the approach to developing the next phase in air quality, with the CAFS2 Delivery and Working Groups, with work beginning in Summer 2025.