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

Overarching themes

This section presents nine commonly recurring themes that were raised by respondents across multiple questions in the written Citizen Space consultation, email responses and across public and technical workshops.

Overarching themes will be discussed in detail in this section and feature throughout later sections of this report when discussing responses to respective consultation questions. Overarching themes have been selected based on their prominence across the analysis of the written consultation and workshops. Overarching themes in this section are ordered thematically.

Encouraging financial support and investment

A common theme discussed across the written consultation and workshop reports was the significant economic challenges presented by climate change and the corresponding importance of financial support through different channels. Respondents highlighted the extent of challenges presented by climate change, including frequent disruptions to key services leading to road closures and disruptions of public transport, property damage, threats to individuals’ and businesses’ livelihoods across sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. More specifically, challenges stemming from supply chain disruptions were highlighted, particularly with respect to food and energy safety.

To address economic challenges, suggested measures included government funding as well as encouraging private investment to improve the resilience of infrastructure and supply chains. Respondents emphasised the importance of financial support from the government for individuals, groups with protected characteristics, and businesses to support them when investing in adaptation measures for buildings, supply chains, and green space. Examples included the use of financial incentives to motivate proactive adaptation action through tax breaks for investments, grants for retrofits, and low-interest loans. In addition to government funding, respondents also recommended motivating individuals and businesses to personally invest in climate-resilient practices and infrastructure. To facilitate such investments, written consultation responses recommended adjusting regulatory frameworks to reduce hurdles and barriers when planning and implementing adaptation measures.

Strengthening climate resilience of infrastructure and public services

Another common theme discussed across several questions and workshops was the strengthening of infrastructure and public services, in response to the increased frequency of extreme weather events and rising sea levels. Respondents emphasised the importance of improving coastal and flood defences, public transport networks, energy systems and public utilities to withstand climate impacts. Long-term planning in line with climate scenarios, data sharing and continued investment in climate-resilient infrastructure were deemed necessary to reduce vulnerabilities and ensure the reliability of essential services for all of Scotland. The incorporation of nature-based solutions to address these risks was also felt to have the potential for wider environmental and health benefits.

Strengthening environmental protection and biodiversity

The importance of protecting Scotland’s natural environment and biodiversity was frequently mentioned across written consultation responses, emails, and workshops. Participants expressed concerns about the impacts of climate change on Scotland’s biodiversity and the decreased resilience of natural ecosystems.

This led to suggestions for greater ecosystem management, prioritisation of integrated nature networks, and acknowledging the importance of sustainable practices which support adaptation in sectors such as construction and agriculture. Further suggestions were made to increase sustainable urban living, specifically referring to the development and management of living and green spaces in urban areas to ensure a high quality of life for current and future generations. This included the maintenance of current green spaces and areas of natural importance, as well as the expansion of waste collection services.

Enhancing collaboration and multi-stakeholder partnerships

The need for collaboration between different groups was also frequently discussed, especially among government agencies, businesses and communities, and non-profit organisations. Respondents emphasised that the development of strong partnerships would enable the pooling of resources and expertise, leading to more effective adaptation outcomes. The importance of mechanisms to encourage data sharing on climate change was also emphasised. Open communication across actors and sectors was strongly encouraged, for example by sharing best practice and case studies to contribute to successful climate adaptation.

Harnessing community empowerment and engagement

Another common theme was the importance of empowering communities to participate in climate adaptation efforts, including the provision of resources to empower residents. Respondents highlighted the importance of community-based initiatives as important ways to build resilience, for example community growing projects and swap shops (where individuals can trade goods without using money). It was also suggested that community engagement could be increased through participatory approaches to ensure that local needs and perspectives are considered in national or local government level adaptation policies. Furthermore, it was deemed important to continue to seek insights into the lived experiences of individuals and groups with protected characteristics and to use these insights to collaboratively design inclusive and equitable adaptation measures.

Increasing education and public awareness

Raising awareness, increasing education on the impacts of climate change in Scotland, and sharing knowledge on possible adaptation action were deemed of key importance. Respondents highlighted the importance of public awareness campaigns to help individuals, communities and businesses understand climate change impacts and sustainable adaptation actions. Respondents suggested using relatable examples of climate impacts to ensure individuals could better understand implications. In addition, responses emphasised the need for extensive professional learning opportunities, as well as changes in school curriculums with content tailored to educate young people on climate change impacts. According to respondents across consultation questions, education and skill-building efforts should target specific vulnerable groups and sectors. Examples included training and planning support to enable sustainable, regenerative approaches to farming.

Prioritising vulnerable groups

A significant theme was the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, including the elderly and low-income households. Vulnerable groups were understood to be disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change due to pre-existing inequalities. Examples include effects on their physical and mental wellbeing such as anxiety and stress or physical illness as a consequence of extreme weather conditions. Respondents called for policies and adaptation measures designed to protect vulnerable populations, as well as to provide targeted financial support. Measures such as enhancing social support systems, ensuring access to sufficient resources to enable adaptation, and promoting inclusive participation in adaptation planning to achieve equitable outcomes were proposed.

Considering health and wellbeing

A recurring theme was the impact of climate change on physical and mental health. Respondents expressed concerns about the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, leading to deaths and illness. Further concerns were raised across different questions, specifically relating to impacts of climate-related disasters on mental health such as stress, trauma, and anxiety. In response, suggestions from respondents included improvements to healthcare and other public services such as adult social care, tailored to negative impacts of climate change. The integration of health considerations into the Plan was deemed crucial to protect and improve the mental and physical wellbeing of communities, especially for populations most vulnerable to climate impacts.

Fostering further innovation and research

Innovation and research were emphasised as important for climate adaptation across a large number of written consultation responses. Respondents called for investment in research to enhance Scottish academic expertise in adaptation. Research efforts were seen as best focussing on climate-resilient infrastructure. Examples given included roads, water management techniques, and the transport of goods. Other examples of further research needs applied to agriculture and domestic food production. Respondents suggested encouraging innovation through stronger policy frameworks for innovation, greater investment in R&D and more financial incentives for adaptation solutions. Further suggestions included better education and increased collaboration between the Scottish Government and academic institutions around adaptation.