Climate change - draft Scottish national adaptation plan 3 2024 - 2029: consultation analysis

Executive summary

Scotland is already experiencing climate change impacts, including warmer summers and wetter winters. The Met Office’s UK Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18)^[1] highlight the significant impacts of climate change in Scotland, including increasing water scarcity, flooding, and extreme weather events. In response, the Scottish Government is preparing for these challenges with the new Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3).

Seeking to gather views on the policies outlined in the draft Adaptation Plan, the Scottish Government launched a 12-week public consultation from 31^st January to 24^th April 2024. This included a written consultation hosted online via the platform Citizen Space, as well as a series of public and technical workshops. Key findings from the analysis of written responses to the consultation, email submissions, and workshop contributions are summarised below:

Lived and Local Experience

• Written consultation responses and workshops highlighted significant adverse economic impacts, including rising costs and disruptions to key services and supply chains. Respondents also expressed concerns around declines in biodiversity and a decreased resilience of natural ecosystems.
• Recommendations included prioritising resilience-building measures for transport and water infrastructure, along with updated guidance and regulations to encourage all households to build climate resilience.

Outcome One: Nature Connects

• The majority of written responses supported enhancing green spaces, restoring natural habitats such as forests and peatlands, and improving waterway management to address risks and enhance climate resilience.
• Both written responses and public workshops supported proactive measures by the Scottish Government, including nature-based solutions to reduce environmental degradation and promote biodiversity.

Outcome Two: Communities

• Written consultation responses emphasised the need to mobilise additional resources, including financial support and incentives to assist individuals and businesses in their climate adaptation efforts. Across written responses and workshops, the integration of climate adaptation education into the curricula was emphasised in particular.
• Public workshops stressed the need for community-based solutions and increased community engagement tailored to local needs, with particular support for vulnerable individuals and groups. Written responses called for collaborative action within and across the public and private sectors to pool resources, share expertise, and foster innovation.

Outcome Three: Public Services and Infrastructure

• Written consultation responses highlighted mixed perspectives on the perceived necessity and approach to adaptation. Organisations expressed wide-ranging support for measures such as risk assessments and early adaptation actions, while individuals frequently expressed concerns over personal challenges to adapt.
• Support was voiced in technical workshops in favour of assessing cascading risks to infrastructure, infrastructure upgrades, and early warning systems to adapt to future climate impacts.

Outcome Four: Economy, Business, and Industry

• Across written responses and workshops, businesses reported facing challenges in accessing climate advice and support due to limited individual business resources and financial constraints.
• Written responses felt that climate change presented opportunities for the agriculture and energy sectors. To take advantage of these opportunities, respondents called for greater financial support and knowledge sharing.

Outcome Five: International Action

• Written responses called for increased financial and practical support from the Scottish Government to aid international communities affected by climate change. Recommendations included adaptation and resilience-building projects offering targeted support for nations most exposed to climate impacts. Contrasting views voiced arguments to prioritise domestic issues instead.
• Written responses also urged universities to conduct international research into resilient infrastructure and environmental protection with a focus on countries and groups most affected by climate change. Specific examples included water management and sustainable agriculture.

Enabling Factors

• Written responses highlighted several barriers to greater private investment in adaptation efforts, including economic barriers such as insufficient returns on investment and policy barriers such as a lack of targeted and suitable regulatory, fiscal, or environmental policies.
• To support or incentivise more investment in adaptation action, there was support for the approaches proposed in the draft SNAP3, notably grant funding schemes to help offset risks associated with adaptation investments.
• Suggestions were raised for additional outcome indicators in the Scottish Government’s monitoring framework, such as socio-economic measures and added environmental indicators. The need for clear biodiversity metrics was highlighted across written responses and workshops.

Impact Assessments

• Recommendations to enhance the positive impacts and mitigate negative consequences of the Adaptation Plan included increased community engagement, improved communication and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Mixed viewpoints were shared on the Plan’s impacts on children’s rights and Island communities. Written responses hoped that the Plan would lead to a safer living environment and improve overall standard of living. Discussions across public and technical workshops also focused on concerns related to the greater impacts of climate change and SNAP3 on the elderly, disabled people, and those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.