National Islands Plan: annual report 2021

Climate Change and Energy

Strategic Objective 9 – To contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation and promote clean, affordable and secure energy

We committed to work with island communities to support their climate change aspirations.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

We are building a new model to support community climate action via a developing network of regional climate action hubs, providing a vehicle for communities to come together and engage in collective climate action. Two pathfinder hubs were launched in September 2021, with one hub covering the North Highlands and Islands (Orkney and Shetland). Development officers based across the area will work with communities to identify the actions that are most appropriate to their needs, support them to develop solutions, promote collaboration between projects and help groups to take advantage of funding opportunities.

We continued to work with island communities to look at alternative solutions to managing waste, particularly in respect of Scotland's Circular Economy Strategy.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

This year's Programme for Government committed us to the development of a route map to achieving our recycling and waste targets for 2025 and beyond. This is in development for consultation later this year which will include consideration of the impact on island communities. We are also committed to bringing forward a Circular Economy Bill which will also consider the impact on island communities.

We are also working to deliver the UK and Scotland's first Deposit Return Scheme. It will be among the most environmentally ambitious and accessible in Europe, including tens of thousands of return points for plastic, metal and glass containers, as well as pick-ups for online deliveries. We are working together with the retail industry to start phasing in the use of this infrastructure on a voluntary basis from November 2022 which will include a return scheme in Orkney that will benefit the community as we recognise that the needs of rural and island areas may be different from other more populated parts of the country.

We committed to work with local authorities to help them work towards their statutory targets.

Work has yet to be progressed in relation to this commitment.

We committed to work towards creating net zero emission islands and providing global climate change leadership.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy (HIBS) published October 2021 sets out a pathway to net zero emissions for Scotland's buildings by 2045. HIBS details a series of near-term actions and longer-term commitments to accelerate the transformation of the nation's building stock, as well as the principles we will apply to ensure our zero emissions heat delivery programmes support our fuel poverty objectives.

HIBS recognises that transforming Scotland's homes and buildings by making them more energy efficient and installing low and zero emissions heating will need us to carefully consider local surroundings and resources, and subsequently the transition to zero emissions buildings may look different within different communities, and will require approaches tailored to place, for example for our island communities. We will further develop our approach to heat decarbonisation, and resilience and sustainability of island energy systems in our Island's Energy Strategy due to be published in 2022.

The Island's Energy Strategy will support the delivery of actions outlined in our Heat and Buildings Strategy Island Communities Impact Assessment published November 2021, including our Carbon Neutral Island's commitment, and review of the evidence base and options for an 'islands uplift' across our delivery programmes as part of our commitment to provide additional support for rural and island homes for heat and energy efficiency.

Additionally, Local Energy Scotland (LES) continue to deliver the Scottish Government's Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) supporting community groups and organisations and rural SME's to explore their renewable energy options. CARES advice and funding support is available to communities across Scotland, including our island communities.

We have also began development of the Carbon Neutral Islands Project. The Programme for Government states that we will identify at least three of our islands to progress towards becoming fully carbon neutral by 2040. We are taking this ambition even further, aiming to support six islands to progress towards being fully carbon neutral by 2040.

We are still in the early stages of development in relation to the project however, we are engaging with relevant stakeholders and policy colleagues to ensure the voices of islanders are fully considered. We have developed an external technical working group made up of local authority colleagues and members of socioeconomic wide groups to co-produce criteria that will inform the selection of the islands that will be part of the project.

The project will take place within the wider context of Scotland's journey to net zero by 2045. It is important to note that while we will directly support six islands, the project is intended to benefit all Scottish islands. This will be through knowledge exchange and sharing of good practices stemming from implementation of the Carbon Neutral Island project. Directly supporting islands in their journey towards carbon neutrality by 2040, will not only benefit the environment but support local economies, facilities and general wellbeing through investment in communities.

By summer 2022, we will publish a report setting out the steps we will take to support the islands included in the project as well as how the latter will benefit all other Scottish islands.

We committed to put in place resilient adaptation plans on islands that are at greater risk from climate change linking these strongly with development plans for those islands.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

In addition to provision of funding to local authorities to support delivery of statutory for protection of the environment, the Scottish Government has also been progressing implementation of Scotland Climate Change Adaptation Programme which outlines actions and underpinning research at the national level to benefit all areas including islands. The Scottish Government also provided input to the following specific initiatives in the islands either through direct involvement or via the Adaptation Scotland programme which it funds. Scottish Ministers also held a National Climate Resilience Summit in October which included representatives from the islands and discussed local as well as national solutions.

The Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership (OHCPP) set up a Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) in June 2019 tasked with improving understanding of climate change, building collaboration across organisations and developing actions to embed in the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan. Adaptation Scotland, a capacity building programme funded by the Scottish Government, is working with the CCWG to deliver an adaptation project which is gathering evidence on how the Outer Hebrides are being impacted by climate change, planning an effective approach to involving communities, and assessing climate risks and opportunities to inform the development of adaptation actions. Since July 2020, the Climate Change Working Group has progressed work on adaptation through the following activities:

• Conducting climate impact interviews with multiple OHCPP partner organisations to understand how climate change is affecting organisational priorities across the Outer Hebrides.
• Developing a draft climate risk list from the climate impact interview data to inform an outline risk assessment process.
• Partnering with arts and cultural organisations to successfully apply to Creative Carbon Scotland's Climate Beacons for COP 26 initiative, to form the Outer Hebrides Climate Beacon partnership (Làn Thìde). The partnership has a vision of: working with the arts to explore climate impacts and vulnerabilities; generating qualitative data to feed into an inclusive climate change adaptation plan; and celebrating and protecting the islands' unique cultural heritage.
• Working with the Climate Beacon partnership to run a community engagement pilot in North Uist during summer 2021. The pilot activities used interactive maps to gather local knowledge and lived experience of climate hazards to explore what communities feel is important to protect in a changing climate and identify local adaptation priorities. As part of the pilot a combined community and scientific ArcGIS map was created comprising data sources on flooding, drainage, coastal erosion, preparedness, natural resources, and community assets/infrastructure, which were added as layers on the map alongside community inputs in order to present scientific data/evidence alongside local knowledge and lived experience of climate hazards and impacts.

Adaptation Scotland has also secured specialist input from the Met Office to develop climate storylines for the Outer Hebrides. This will focus on communicating climate trends and projections in a way that is accessible and engaging for communities, and is the first project of its kind in the UK. Adaptation Scotland is currently supporting local partners to commission a creative practitioner to develop the storyline piece by combining Met Office analysis of future changes to frequency and intensity of winter storms in the islands with local lived experience of climate impacts. The storyline will then be used to engage communities across the Outer Hebrides through a series of events/workshops during early 2022.

Adaptation Scotland has also supported the CCWG through a period of reflection and learning and identifying priorities for adaptation moving forwards. Nature Scot, who chair the CCWG, previously recruited a graduate student placement until September 2021 to support the adaptation planning work. The graduate student placement has now finished, and the group is exploring options to continue to resource its work, potentially through the recruitment of a dedicated Climate Change Coordinator who would coordinate work on both adaptation and mitigation, if funds can be secured.

Orkney Islands Council has recruited a climate change officer with responsibility for climate change adaptation. Adaptation Scotland has supported a link with the SUNRISE project which is investigating experiences of climate change impacts, coping and adaptation strategies in the Orkney Islands and Islands around the world.

Adaptation Scotland has met with colleagues from the Shetland Islands Council and provided advice and templates to support development of a business case for a Shetland wide adaptation initiative. Discussions are ongoing with the Shetland Islands Community Planning Partners.

Adaptation Scotland has met with the Climate Change Working Group of Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership to discuss development of an area wide climate change adaptation plan. The group is in the early stages of considering their approach

Dynamic Coast 2, which identifies lengths of coastline at risk of erosion from the sea, was published in August 2021. This work considers how future sea level rise could further exacerbate coastal erosion and erosion enhanced coastal flooding. We are encouraging councils to prepare coastal change adaptation plans using evidence from Dynamic Coast. A new budget to help councils plan for and take action to adapt to coastal change will be distributed to councils in their general capital grant settlement from 2022/23.

We committed to work closely with island partners, the network owner and all other key stakeholders to deliver existing proposals for electricity transmission links to mainland Scotland.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The Scottish Government believes that the progress of energy generation developments on our islands, and their influence on the delivery of transmission links to the Scottish mainland, will help stimulate economic growth as the economy recovers from COVID-19. Developing these abundant resources can also help unlock the islands' potential to supply low cost renewable electricity for the benefit of consumers across Scotland and Great Britain, as well as many social, community and economic benefits.

Scottish Government has continued to work with stakeholders including BEIS and Ofgem to remove barriers to deployment and have responded to Ofgem consultations on Transmission Network Use of System Charges and the Access SCR highlighting the need for regulatory reforms to take fully into account the effects on renewables project costs, ensuring that these do not present barriers to investment and progress in Scotland.

We continue to engage closely with island councils and industry to assess the risks and opportunities as Scottish island wind projects approach this year's Contract for Difference (CfD) allocation round. Scottish Ministers have made clear to Ofgem that its decisions on island links must take the net zero imperative more fully into account, and incorporate a more flexible approach to what are vital strategic investments.

We committed to work with Resilience Partnerships and energy providers to encourage them to focus on the resilience of islands' energy supply networks.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

Increased demand and applications for connection to the electricity distribution network will also increase our reliance on the electricity system. We need to ensure that our electricity networks are upgraded to serve that demand, and that our capacity to generate zero carbon electricity continues to grow. Achieving our targets will undoubtedly rely on strong and resilient networks supported by technologies such as long duration electricity storage to provide vital services currently provided by fossil fuel and nuclear generators. Scotland continues to make excellent progress in areas such as renewable electricity generation.

We have worked closely with Scotland's Distribution networks owners to ensure their business plans reflect the scale and pace of change required to meet our targets. The draft plans submitted to Ofgem in December, if approved, would unlock over £3 billion of investment in our local networks.

As part of this investment, SSEN who provides essential services to communities and businesses on 59 remote islands through 111 subsea cables, has included provision for:

• £35.7 million investment is planned for new subsea cables.
• £43.3 million is proposed for maintaining and operating standby diesel generation for island communities at seven sites. This includes replacing the engines at Battery Point on the Isle of Lewis to improve its environmental impact and uprating the capacity of Bowmore Power Station on Islay.

The Scottish Government Energy Networks Strategic Leadership Group continues to provide a knowledgeable and influential forum for discussing the ways in which the development of Scotland's energy networks can recognise and deliver Scottish energy and climate change policy objectives.

We committed to work with transport-related stakeholders to have the most energy efficient and climate-friendly transport services possible across the islands.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

We recognise that future transport networks must be powered on clean, green energy and are working with a range of stakeholders on a 'whole-system' approach to assessing and planning for the energy demands of Scotland's future transport system.

A sustainable investment hierarchy remains embedded in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) which is considering future transport investment plans. The Review will cover the strategic road and rail networks, and national infrastructure investment to support active travel and island connectivity. Phase 1 was published on 3 February 2021. Consultation on Phase 2 commenced in January 2022 with the publication anticipated later in the year. Together, Phase 1 and Phase 2 will set out Scottish Government's transport investment priorities for the next 20 years.

Through 2021 we worked with the Energy Savings Trust and a diverse range of stakeholders to develop guidance to support the planning and delivery of electric vehicle infrastructure investment. This guidance will be published early 2022 and covers four themes, including charging networks for island communities. Additionally, funding is provided to all local authorities in Scotland to enable them to grow and develop zero carbon transport infrastructure such as EV charging.

In relation to aviation, we remain committed to decarbonising scheduled flights within Scotland by 2040, whilst aiming to create the world's first zero emission aviation region in partnership with Highlands and Islands Airports. We also remain committed through the Climate Change Plan update (CCPu) to ensuring that 30% of Scottish Government owned ferries will be low emission by 2032. As part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, we are also exploring and consulting on pathways to zero/low emission ferry transport.

We committed to continue working to unleash the potential of renewable energy as both a way to mitigate climate change and as a driver of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

As set out in our initial response to the recommendations to the final report of the Just Transition Commission (see Just Transition - A Fairer, Greener Scotland: Scottish Government response - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)), the refreshed Scottish Government Energy Strategy will be our first specific Just Transition Plan and has informed the development of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET). The Energy Strategy Just Transition Plan will be published in 2022 and will consider how, for example, the islands' abundant renewable energy resources can further contribute to meeting Scotland's climate commitments whilst supporting strong local economies, and addressing existing social and economic inequality. Details of our current and new policies are set out in the Climate Change Plan update (CCPU).

We published our Energy Strategy Position Statement in March, ahead of the pre-election period, which set out our key priorities for the short and medium term. Next year, we will be publishing our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan. This will take a whole systems view of how the energy sector must evolve to drive our transition to net zero. The document will also set out what is needed to deliver a just transition for the sector, in line with the principles laid out in our National Transition Planning Framework, published in September 2021.

We committed to work with communities, crofters, farmers and landowners to expand forests and woodlands on the islands, recognising wider land-use objectives.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

Scottish Forestry continues to support sustainable woodland creation on the islands through the Forestry Grant Scheme.

It has also continues to work with a range of partners including the Woodland Trust and Point and Sandwick Trust to deliver the Croft Woodlands Project, which covers all islands, including Argyll and Arran, providing advice and support for crofters.

In 2021, 18 woodland creation projects were completed across the Islands, creating a range of woodlands types including new native woodlands on the Islands of Lewis, Harris, Islay, Arran and Eigg. A further four tree planting projects were approved in 2021 on Orkney and Skye.

We committed to put the themes of meeting emissions targets and adapting to the effects of climate change at the heart of the preparation of National Planning Framework 4.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was laid in the Scottish Parliament and published for public consultation in November 2021. It sets out how a new approach to planning and development that will help achieve a net zero, sustainable Scotland by 2045, in a way which also tackles longstanding challenges and inequalities.

It is clear that we must embrace and deliver radical change so we can tackle and adapt to climate change. The draft national spatial strategy sets out a vision for more sustainable locations and types of development in Scotland to achieve net-zero, and includes five action areas across the country.

One Action area, 'North and west coastal innovation', covers the island communities of Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and parts of Highland and Argyll and Bute. It is clear that our north and west coast and islands will be at the forefront of efforts to reach net zero.

The national spatial strategy is particularly supported by radically improved planning policies, including:

• a requirement to give significant weight to the Global Climate Emergency in plans and decisions;
• ensuring we adapt to future climate impacts by considering flood risk, infrastructure resilience, temperature change and coastal vulnerability;
• promoting local liveability through 20 minute neighbourhoods; reducing the need to travel unsustainably; prioritising walking, wheeling and public or shared transport; and an infrastructure-first approach; and
• enabling the infrastructure we will need including green energy, heat networks, facilities for a circular economy, and sustainable transport.

We committed to support the adaptation of Scotland's aquaculture and fishing industry.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

Island fishing representatives have had a direct line into the development of annual fisheries negotiations strategy and priorities. Additionally, they have formed part of a group that received real time updates and provided real time views and advice to negotiators.

Work is underway to develop a blue economy vision and action plan which will support sustainable economic development of our marine sectors, ensuring that they are resilient and able to respond to the climate and biodiversity crises. The impacts of climate change on fish farming is being explored through our Farmed Fish Health Strategy Group.

We committed to work with a range of stakeholders to develop an action plan to improve resilience to properties at flood risk.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

We published the Living with flooding: action plan in 2019, which recommends actions for a range of stakeholders to take to help promote property flood resilience in Scotland. We have continued to work with a stakeholders to deliver the action plan, which was reviewed in 2021.

We committed to work with local authorities to strengthen recycling and food waste services in island communities.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

We continue to support island local authorities and communities to increase the quality and quantity of recycling.

This year, the first of our landmark investments from the £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund included £784,458 for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. This investment will allow the council to redesign kerbside collection services to increase the quality of material collected, and to extend services to areas where kerbside recycling collections are not currently available.

In addition, the funding will provide a zero emissions, electric Refuse Collection Vehicle to service collection routes in Stornoway and the surrounding areas. This investment will make it easier for households to recycle more, and will contribute to meeting Scotland's ambitious climate targets.

With our partners, work continues to support all local authorities to assess opportunities and develop project proposals for future infrastructure investment through the Recycling Improvement Fund. We remain committed to consulting on the current rural exemption for food waste collections and to review the food waste separation requirements, which were included in our Programme for Government 2019/20.

We committed to work closely with key stakeholders to ensure that the voices of islanders are fully heard, achieving a just transition to net-zero, and that islands benefit from the many opportunities associated with a green and sustainable economy.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

In line with the recommendations of the Just Transition Commission, we committed in September 2021 to delivering a National Just Transition Planning Framework to ensure an orderly and managed transition to net-zero, and a fair distribution of costs and benefits. Just Transition Plans will be prepared for all sectors that will have an important role to play in a transformed net-zero economy. The Plans will be developed in an inclusive way where those that are likely to be most impacted by the transition will be placed at the heart of the process. The islands' characteristics will mean specific consideration will need to be given to the social and economic impacts of the net-zero transition. We will ensure that our engagement framework allows the voices of islanders to be fully heard, particularly in regard to sectors such as energy where there is a clear and specific islands' interest.