Climate change - adaptation programme: progress report 2021

Chapter 4: Progress towards "our society's supporting systems being resilient to climate change"

Communities across Scotland are reliant on strong and resilient infrastructure networks which include vital supply networks, digital communications, transport networks and also support our health, government and emergency services.

As part of a green recovery from COVID-19, the role of our transport and critical infrastructure will be key for supporting this recovery. In the Climate Change Committee's 2020 annual progress report to the Scottish Parliament on progress in reducing emissions, it also advised that the Scottish Government "accelerate investments in low-carbon and climate adaptation infrastructure to stimulate Scotland's economy, build long-term productive capacity and improve climate resilience". The Scottish Government is committed to investing in these key areas, as evidenced in the 2020/21 Budget which announced a £2 billion Low Carbon Fund, the first £165 million of which includes £25 million for bus priority infrastructure and £15 million for zero emissions buses.

As well as Scotland's infrastructure being central to the transition towards net-zero, making sure infrastructure is resilient to the effects of climate change and extreme weather is also crucial for keeping Scotland running and keeping its citizens connected, especially those who live in remote parts of the country. In a year where working from home has increased and travel has been restricted as part of the COVID-19 public health initiatives, digital connection has been vital for keeping Scotland running and combatting loneliness and isolation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced that good quality digital connectivity is more vital than ever. Households, educational establishments and businesses across Scotland have been forced to do more and more online – leading to an increased demand for the digital infrastructure that supports people to connect, study and work from home effectively.

In Scotland, some parts of infrastructure are devolved to the Scottish Government, while some remain reserved to the UK Government. The present update covers progress in both areas.

Examples of progress on cross-cutting policies in support of this outcome

The Infrastructure Investment Plan - The Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021/22, – 2025/26 was published by the Scottish Government in February 2021, alongside a Capital Spending Review for 2021-22 to 2025-26 and taking account of the recommendations of the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland and the feedback from the consultation of the draft Plan in Autumn 2020. The Plan outlines a coherent, and strategic approach to delivering our National Infrastructure Mission. It demonstrates the vital role infrastructure has to play in helping businesses and communities to adapt and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the importance of adapting current and future assets to the impacts of climate change. Key investments featured in the Plan include the confirmation of £150 million additional funding for flood risk management, £12 million to help us adapt to the threat of sea level rises (see chapter 1) and £60 million to support climate adaptation and resilience in our trunk road network.

The Grangemouth Future Industry Board - Announced in the 2020-2021 Programme for Government, the Grangemouth Future Industry Board has been established with a focus on Scotland's largest manufacturing cluster (home to a number of key infrastructure assets). The Board will strengthen alignment and coordinate activity ensuring that the significant opportunities for low carbon economic growth are maximised at Grangemouth. The Board brings together key decision makers, organising public sector initiatives and workstreams in order to unlock potential investment that boosts the economic development, innovation, longevity and competitiveness of the sites – with decarbonisation woven through all aspects of its work. Futureproofing this vital industrial hub will help support a long-term, sustainable future for Grangemouth, and the Board will work to advance the infrastructure necessary to support the cluster, including activity to bolster transport infrastructure, resilience planning and the planning of flood defences.

The National Transport Strategy - Following on from the publication of the second National Transport Strategy (NTS2) in February 2020, the first annual Delivery Plan for the National Transport Strategy was published in December 2020. This brings together, for the first time, the actions Scottish Government will take to deliver the priorities in the Strategy, namely reducing inequalities, taking climate action (towards both adaptation and emissions reduction outcomes), helping to deliver inclusive economic growth and improving health and wellbeing. Further information on how the implementation of the strategy is supporting adaptation can be found below.

Examples of progress on policies in support of sub-outcome that: "Scotland's Scotland's devolved supporting systems are resilient to climate change"

Strategic Transport Projects Review - In early 2019, Transport Scotland started the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) process to help inform transport investment in Scotland over the next 20 years. STPR2 is helping to deliver the vision, priorities and outcomes for transport set out in the National Transport Strategy (NTS2), in alignment to other strategic frameworks such as the new National Planning Framework, Climate Change Plan and Infrastructure Investment Plan. The STPR2 Update and Phase 1 Recommendations report was published in February 2021 and recommends 20 interventions against eight themes and provides key analysis of transport trends throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The key interventions include a range of actions with relevance to building climate resilience – such as influencing travel choices, contributing to placemaking principles in neighbourhoods and reallocation of road space for active travel. Phase 2 of STPR2 is expected to report in autumn 2021.

Resilience of Scotland's Road Network to Landslides - The review of recommendations from the Implementation Report is currently being revisited in light of the landslide events at A83 Rest and Be Thankful during autumn 2020, with a final report due later in 2021. In the meantime, a programme of planting on the slope above the Rest and Be Thankful to stabilise the soils has been agreed with Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), with preparatory works started in February 2021. Transport Scotland and FLS have agreed a comprehensive monitoring strategy for the project, encompassing a range of approaches to assess soil/ground movement and saturation, and to monitor the establishment and impact of the woodland. It is anticipated this impact will extend beyond the potential stabilisation of the slope and regulation of surface water flow, and include enhanced habitat connectivity through the glen with increased opportunities for improved biodiversity. In recognition of the continued landslide vulnerability at this location, a strategic study of potential road routes to Argyll has also begun. Furthermore, to improve the evidence base around landslides, a range of research publications have been issued – including: Managing Hazardous Slopes: Innovative Monitoring Strategies for Managing Hazardous Slopes (August 2020).

Landscape management around trunk roads -Transport Scotland has recently re-tendered the term contracts for the management and maintenance of the two southern trunk road units. As part of this process, the agency took the opportunity to review and revise many of the current contract requirements, including those related to the management of the trunk road landscape resource – the soft estate. Areas identified for improvement included the processes for tree management across the trunk road corridors. This was largely influenced by a recognition of the impact of climate change on native species and the related spread of non-native species and the increasing occurrences and severity of pathogens and diseases. New and robust procedures have been introduced for the survey, recording, inspection and management of all vegetation types across the network.

Managing the impacts of extreme weather events on the transport network - As part of regular reviews of the Transport Scotland High Wind Strategy and National Wind Management Guidelines, the Met Office have undertaken a bespoke project on behalf of Transport Scotland to produce a new dataset of wind modelling over a thirty year period. The new modelling incorporates all Trunk and A Class roads and any climatic changes from the previous dataset. This data will serve to inform the strategy and associated guidance as well as a providing a source of reference for Operating Companies for their own high wind management plans.

Tools for managing wider risks to the transport network - The Transport Scotland Manual for the Management of the Risk of Unplanned Network Disruption has been updated to include the requirements of Transport Scotland's Network Management Contract, as well as the 4^th Generation Operating Company Contracts. The 2021 revision of the Manual will include increased Flooding, Landslide and Wind Management Plan requirements. The Manual provides direction to Operating Companies on managing and mitigating the effects of disruptive events, such as those caused by weather events. The Operating Companies also continue to develop and implement disruption risk processes which are informed by the formal recording of all previous events. Furthermore, the Manual includes a Disruption Risk Assessment Tool, which provides a robust and objective framework within which to analyse patterns of events, and their locations, in order to support decision-making and identify particularly vulnerable locations and assets.

Resilience of the rail network - Use of Scotland's rail network has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, planning for future resilience and development of the network continues. In September 2020, Network Rail published its updated Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Control Period 6 (2019-2024). This was published shortly following the tragic train derailment following intense rainfall at Stonehaven. In 2020, ScotRail also published on its website a high level Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. These developments are in-keeping with the Team Scotland approach of working collaboratively with Network Rail and Transport Scotland to ensure resilience of the network and identify adaptation interventions. Across climate change action more widely, the Rail Service Decarbonisation Action Plan was published by Transport Scotland in July 2020 and sets out the high level strategy to decarbonise domestic passenger services by 2035. This will be achieved through a rolling programme of electrification but also utilisation of alternative traction technology rolling stock on specific routes.

Developing Water Resilient Places - In February 2021, the Scottish Government published a new Water Resilient Places policy framework. The framework reviews the Scottish Government approach to blue-green cities, brings forward proposals to support Scottish Water's increased use of natural, blue-green infrastructure to manage surface water away from homes and businesses, and to help create great places to live. The framework has been drafted in the context of the global climate emergency with input from key stakeholders with an interest in flood risk management, drainage, blue-green infrastructure, land-use planning and place-making. It aims to improve the management of surface water flooding by complementing and supporting existing policy and organisational responsibilities as set out in the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. The policy objectives aim to make surface water management relevant to all sectors and make it a core consideration in designing for climate adaptation, sustainable place-making and delivering great blue-green places to live.

Other ongoing developments in surface water policy - In June 2018, Scottish Water signed a Sustainable Growth Agreement with SEPA, under the terms of which they will work together to explore new and innovative ways to manage resilience in rural and urban drainage catchments – including in the context of the changing climate. Scottish Water have joined with SEPA, the Scottish Government and Local Authorities to form the Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership and the Edinburgh and Lothians Strategic Drainage Partnership to develop innovative and integrated solutions to manage rainwater, flooding, flood risk and growth. Further Partnerships are expected to follow. As Scottish Water enter a new investment period (2021-2027) there will be a far greater emphasis on blue-green solutions.

Research to support a HydroNation: Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) has completed a range of research with relevance to climate change adaptation over the last year, all of which can be found on its website and which includes:

• The design of catchment monitoring systems to evaluate the effectiveness of Natural Flood Management measures.
• Post-flood studies to identify impacts upon people and communities, and recommendations for support and advice needed at different stages of recovery from flooding.
• The potential impacts of climate change upon private water supplies, and the resilience of these supplies in Scotland.
• A conference for scientists, engineers, planners and managers to share their observations, experiences, research outcomes, and innovative ideas on building resilience and adapting to low flows and drought conditions.
• Ongoing studies on the effects of climate change upon coastal erosion and flooding, assessment of vulnerability, and adaptation measures.

Examples of progress on policies in support of sub-outcome that "Scotland's reserved supporting systems are resilient to climate change

Resilient broadband connections through the Reaching 100% Programme - Despite telecoms being reserved to the UK Parliament, the Scottish Government's £600 million investment through the Reaching 100% (R100) programme will continue to deliver future-proofed and resilient broadband infrastructure in some of the most rural areas of Scotland. These networks will be transformational – in the short term, enabling faster broadband speeds and the growth of 4G and 5G; while, over time, underpinning the growth of data-driven, connectivity-enabled technologies across Scotland.

Scottish 4G Infill Programme - A progress update on the Scottish Government's £25m Scottish 4G infill programme was published in February 2021. The programme aims to improve Scotland's connectivity by addressing up to 46 mobile 'notspots' (areas where no mobile coverage is available) in remote communities, from the Scottish Borders to Shetland and Orkney. Following a pause in build and site activities at mast sites during the COVID-19 lockdown of spring 2020, work has now resumed following current COVID-19 guidelines. As of March 2021, 11 sites are now live and delivering 4G services, with a pipeline of further site activations to follow over 2021 through to 2023.

How the Adaptation Scotland Programme is supporting this outcome

In September 2020, the Adaptation Capability Framework (ACF) developed by the Adaptation Scotland programme was awarded the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) Sustainability Impact Award. The ACF was co-developed with a range of major organisations, including infrastructure operators and is currently being used by bodies such as Scottish Water and Transport Scotland to develop, monitor and evaluate their work to adapt to climate change.

Adaptation Scotland continues to provide one to one advice and capacity building support to enable organisations to use the ACF, track their progress and set aims, objectives and targets for their adaptation activities. The programme also supports peer to peer learning and collaboration, enabling organisations to work across sectors to identify and overcome shared challenges.