Climate change: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029

Outcome Five: International Action (IA)

Scotland’s international role supports climate justice and enhanced global action on climate adaptation.

Climate impacts do not recognise or respect national borders. Over the past few years, the world has seen records consistently broken for the hottest and driest summers, widespread and unprecedented flooding, and damage and lives lost due to weather extremes. No single community will be left untouched by the effects of climate change. Some communities, however, will be disproportionately affected, with those who are least able to adapt and the most impacted.

Scotland is a small country, but we are an open and outward looking nation which aims to put people at the heart of our international climate action. We act in solidarity with the Global South to build their capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change not just to survive, but to thrive. We hold leadership roles in international networks and coalitions, and we use these to drive ambition and action on adaptation, strengthen networks to share knowledge and expertise, and to provide a platform for our partners in the Global South and other states and regions. This supports efforts to adapt to a changing climate, demonstrating the action taking place at the subnational level, while putting pressure on national governments to keep to their commitments set out in the United Nations Paris Agreement, the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Global Biodiversity Framework.

Scotland is also taking strides forward in research and innovation on climate adaptation and strengthening the policy-academia dialogue. We have much to share to support our partners on their own journeys in building their climate resilience. However, we know we have a lot to learn from other governments to inform our own policy making and delivery, particularly from communities experiencing the worst of the climate crisis facing similar challenges to us here in Scotland. We strongly believe that only through international cooperation, with climate justice at the heart of that climate action, will we successfully secure a climate resilient future.

Our response to the changing climate is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 17 goals providing a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and planet both now and into the future. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all UN member states in 2015. The figure below indicates how the Adaptation Plan outcomes contribute to these goals.

A circular chart showing the link between the UN Sustainability Goals and the SNAP3 Outcomes. The outer wheel shows the UN goals and the inner wheel shows the corresponding adaptation outcomes. In the middle it reads "Our Adaptation Outcomes, in line with the National Performance Framework (NPF4) share the same aims as the UN SDGs. Our work to adapt to the locked-in impacts of climate change must contribute towards our goals of tackling inequalities to ensure that no one in Scotland is left behind."

The measures to manage the international risks in the UKCCRA fall in many cases to policy areas reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government is committed to taking all actions within its devolved competency to increase international action and improve domestic resilience to shocks and cascading failures and avoid maladaptation. The actions set out in this chapter, combined with those focused on Scotland domestically, will improve our resilience to climate change.

There is a great deal of nuance required when discussing climate adaptation, climate justice and loss and damage in the international sphere. For a note on definitions, please see Annex D.

Objective: Vulnerable communities (IA1)

Scotland's international programmes support communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change to adapt and thrive.

SG Directorate lead: DECC/DEAC

This objective focuses on the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver climate justice for partners in the Global South. As detailed in the definition of climate justice at the start of this outcome, a climate justice approach recognises that those most affected by climate change are often least able to adapt and have done the least historically to contribute to global warming. Scotland’s climate justice work aims to increase the capacity of our partner communities to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The programmes and interventions put those most affected at their heart and ensure that the views and needs of those typically marginalised, including women and young people, in such communities are at the centre of future climate justice interventions in the Global South. We will deliver through:

• Scotland’s Climate Justice Fund (CJF) – the world’s first such fund and recently trebled to £36 million fund, this is the primary source of funding for Scotland’s international climate action. It is fully financially committed until the end of this Parliament (2026). There are several programmes funded by the CJF spanning this chapter.
• Climate Just Communities (CJC) Programme - CJC is a £24 million, three year programme that will take a participatory approach to support more resilient and inclusive communities across Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia. The programme will particularly ensure that the priorities and participation of the most marginalised within communities are central to the development and implementation of climate justice interventions.
• Climate Justice Resilience Fund - of the £2 million committed by the Scottish Government during COP26, £1 million was awarded to the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF) to help some of the world's most vulnerable communities prepare for and adapt to climate change, tackle structural inequalities and recover from climate induced loss and damage. As a result, communities in Bangladesh, Malawi and the Pacific have been supported to re-build livelihoods, for example, through skills development opportunities, as well as repair homes and infrastructure damaged by climate change. Activities included supporting communities to make informed decisions on migration and use remittances to build resilience. For those forcibly displaced, the provision of safe shelter helped to protect and address their rights and needs. During COP27, an additional £5 million was pledged to specifically tackle non-economic loss and damage. This funding has now been allocated and will run until March 2026
• Feminist Action for Climate Justice - Scotland has also announced our intention to become a commitment maker under the Feminist Action for Climate Justice theme through the UN Women’s Generation Equality Campaign, and we are in the process of finalising these with the UN now. We know that women and girls will be disproportionately affected by climate change. We are committed to creating gender-responsive policies and programmes which centre the rights of women and girls.

Case Study: Pacific Islands

As part of the original £1 million of loss and damage funding awarded to CJRF, a $225,000 grant was provided to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) between 2021 and 2023 to support partners across the Pacific Islands to collaboratively assess and address climate-induced losses and damages being faced in their communities. Partners co-designed the range of activities that each organization undertook through subgrants from UUSC. Design activities include youth organizing to map out what is being lost or damaged and community-led strategy development to seek resources for rebuilding or relocation. Other activities include protection of traditional knowledge through storytelling; preservation of traditional knowledge through intergenerational dialogue and litigation at the regional and international levels. UUSC is also engaging in participatory monitoring, evaluation and learning in this grant in a deliberative and consultative manner.

Case Study: Malawi – rebuilding resiliently after Cyclone Ana

As part of the original £1m of loss and damage funding awarded to CJRF, a $200,000 grant was provided to Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD) in 2022 to support the communities in the Chikwawa district in Malawi devastated by Cyclone Ana. The project provided support to rebuild houses destroyed by the cyclone using resilient building materials and local artisans. It has a livelihood component in the form of a livestock pass-on scheme in which one set of families receive a first round of goats which are supported by veterinary services and livestock insurance. Offspring are then passed on to a predetermined second set of families. These interventions were identified by community members during a community-level assessment of the loss and damage they experienced after Cyclone Ana.

Objective: International advocacy (IA2)

Scotland is a committed advocate in international fora for those most affected by climate change and with the smallest capacity to adapt, and for increased international ambition on adaptation and biodiversity loss.

SG Directorate lead: DECC/DEAC

The Scottish Government is committed to using its influence as an international actor to raise global ambition on addressing climate risks and biodiversity loss globally. We are a key voice in sub-national fora, such as the Regions4 Network and the Under2Coalition, and we use our unique position as a devolved national government to collaborate at multiple levels – with subnational, regional and national governments as well as with international bodies like the United Nations.

International conventions

Participation at United Nations Framework for the Convention on Climate Change Conferences of the Parties (UNFCCC COPs or Climate COPs) - Scotland will continue to participate at future COPs to ensure that progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and associated international commitments continues to be made and that the role of non-party governments– at which level ambitious climate action is taking place - is recognised, with further inclusion for non-party governments in UN processes. The Scottish Government will play a bridging role, ensuring the voice of women, young people and the Global South influence debate and action at COP28. This is not limited to influencing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees but also increase international cooperation and finance for adaptation. Over the course of the Adaptation Plan the Scottish Government will:

• Work with key stakeholders to hold a diverse range of events at COP with high level ministerial engagement and engagement with a wide range of relevant stakeholders; and
• Ensure that adaptation is a key outcome for all international engagement before, during and after COPs.
• Alignment with international adaptation goals and related strategies – Scotland will, where possible, ensure we are aligned with global adaptation and biodiversity frameworks, for example:
• UNFCCC – Scotland will continue to have regard to the UNFCCC when setting our emissions reduction pathway, and align with adaptation commitments set out in the Paris Agreement.
• UAE Framework from Global Climate Resilience – Agreed at COP28 in Dubai, the UAE Framework positions climate adaptation as a top priority for all nations. It expands the Global Goal on Adaptation to present a comprehensive approach to enhance adaptative capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability. SNAP3 aligns well with key sectors prioritized in the framework (water, food and agriculture, infrastructure, health, ecosystems, livelihoods and cultural heritage) and in its goals for a developed monitoring and evaluation system. Scottish Government will continue to align with the Framework as much as possible through the delivery of SNAP3.
• Locally-Led Adaptation Principles (see Annex C) – the Scottish Government will endorse and support the 2021 Locally Led Adaptation Principles developed by the World Resources Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development.
• EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change – in line with Scottish Government’s ambition to collaborate on a number of issues on the EU agenda, where possible, Scottish Government will align with the 2021 EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change “Forging a Climate-resilient Europe” and engagement with the associated Climate-Adapt platform.
• Carbon Disclosure Project - annual transparency reporting feeding into the CDP report, with the data utilised by the UNFCCC’s Global Climate Action Portal which recognises climate actions and commitments made by actors around the globe, as well as feeding into Race to Resilience and Race to Zero Campaigns on the progress of regions in their commitments towards net-zero, building resilience, and adapting to impacts of climate change.
• Global Biodiversity Framework - through the Edinburgh Process for Biodiversity, the Scottish Government led a global sub-state coalition to ensure a ‘whole of government’ approach to addressing the global biodiversity crisis. The adoption at United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD) COP15, of a dedicated Decision and renewed Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, ensured that the voices of all levels of government – sub-state, regional and local - are embedded within the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and signalled a step up in global ambition. We continue to engage with the CBD through our membership of their Advisory Committee on Subnational Governments. We will work with our global partners through various other fora to enable implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework across all global regions; sharing our knowledge and expertise, learning from others and working to deliver our own Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery Plan.

International engagement

Scotland will use our leadership position within the international climate community to influence and engage with international counterparts, including national governments, to drive multilevel action on climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Understanding that ambitious climate action and implementation is often taken by devolved, state and regional governments and that we have much to learn from one another, Scotland will continue to place a strong emphasis on knowledge sharing and capacity building between states and regions, via our membership of international coalitions. The Regions4 Network and the Under2 Coalition form the two key pillars of Scotland’s international capacity building engagement.

• Regions4 Sustainable Development Network - Scotland was elected President of Regions4 in 2024 and will serve until at least 2026. Regions4 is an international network of subnational governments committed to halting biodiversity loss, pioneering climate change adaptation, and fostering sustainable development at a regional level. Scotland’s Presidency is focused on delivering strong political leadership to maximise devolved state and regional government’s role and influence within international fora. This will be achieved, in part through strengthening the network’s policy offer to support knowledge exchange and capacity building, developing substantive policy and advocacy positions for international engagement, and effectively representing the priorities of our members.
• The Regions4 position paper “The Rio Declaration”, ratified at Scotland’s first Regions4 General Assembly as President, details the network’s advocacy and engagement approach to progressing international action on adaptation, nature and biodiversity.
• As a member, Scotland sat on the Steering Committee and is an active member of the RegionsAdapt Initiative, aimed at inspiring and supporting regional governments to take concrete action, collaborate and report on climate adaptation.
• Throughout the lifetime of the Plan, we will continue to work and develop the Network’s adaptation action
• We will leverage our reputation as a leader within the devolved and subnational climate action movement, and the wealth of lessons from our co-chairing of the Under2 Coalition to ensure our Presidency is as effective and influential as possible
• The Under2 Coalition - Scotland is currently in its second term as the European co-chair of the Under2 Coalition (2022-24), an international coalition of 178 climate ambitious state and regional governments from the Global North and South. As Co-Chair, Scotland is responsible for the strategic direction of the region as well as high level engagement with other regions’ Co-Chairs on Coalition priorities and policy focus. Over our two terms, we have driven climate ambition across the Coalition, leading on a number of new projects, such as:
  • an updated Memorandum of Understanding, committing signatories to meet net zero individually as quickly as possible and collectively as a Coalition by 2050, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
  • The establishment the coalition’s Net Zero Future’s Policy Forum, which we co-chair with New South Wales.
  • Establishing the annual European Ministerial meeting, hosted at the Scottish Government hub in Brussels.
  • Partnering with the Coalition’s Future Fund to financial support Global South attendance at international climate events.
  • In our third term as European co-chair, we will seek to build upon our existing legacy to deliver upon some of the following ambitions:
  • Continuing to push for the inclusion of devolve, state and regional governments role and influence, including by more closely aligning Under2 and Regions4 to strengthen a collective subnational voice
  • Advocating for key governments to produce Nationally Determined Contributions for COP30
  • Driving forward work on the just transition from fossil fuels, and on climate finance.
• Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency - the LGMA is a constituency within the UNFCCC, representing the voice of subnational and local governments. Scotland is a member by virtue of its leadership roles of the Under2 Coalition and Regions4. As part of this, the Scottish Government has fed into the drafting of key positions around climate action and papers in response to the UNFCCC Global Stocktake, with adaptation a key focus – most recently the position paper #multilevelactiondelivers in action. This paper and associated messaging form key parts of the UNFCCC process and was considered as part of the development of the UAE Consensus document.
• Women’s Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO) - for the last five years the Scottish Government has supported WEDO to address gender equality in climate action in the Global South by directly supporting women delegates to attend COPs and represent their own respective interests. Funding has helped grassroots and indigenous women leaders to access funding to scale up climate solutions in Global South countries.

Objective: A global hub for adaptation research (IA3)

Scotland is a global knowledge hub for research and innovation on climate adaptation, loss and damage and climate justice and facilitates knowledge sharing between Global South/Global North.

SG Directorate lead: DECC/DEAC

Scottish universities and research centres have a long tradition of producing world-class climate mitigation and adaptation research, with expertise stretching across the environmental sciences, agriculture, marine science and others. International collaboration and knowledge exchange are integral to the success of Scotland’s universities and colleges.

Scotland can be even more closely involved in international multi-disciplinary research that addresses climate adaptation and to expand our research and innovation networks beyond our borders.

Case Study: Best practice for Addressing on Loss and Damage

Ahead of hosting COP26, the Scottish Government brought together international representatives and practitioners to articulate best practice on addressing loss and damage at Scotland’s conference Addressing Loss and Damage. The resulting synthesis was launched in March 2023. The report was produced by the Scottish Government in collaboration with IIED. In March 2024, Scottish Government hosted an international workshop with partners SLYCAN Trust, to discuss how best to advance equitable access to climate finance and loss and damage funding.

Research Expertise

• Expert network – the Scottish Government will establish a network of adaptation experts across Scotland and map links to international institutions and research networks.
• Research consortium - the Scottish Government and relevant partners will host an international adaptation research consortium event to share Scottish research expertise and good practices from international counterparts.
• Centres of Expertise – The Scottish Government funds five centres of expertise in areas of high policy importance and relevance to the adaptation agenda: water, climate change, animal disease outbreaks, plant health and knowledge exchange. These are virtual centres that bring together expertise across the publicly funded research sector. In 2024/25 £7 million is provided in total to the five centres. The Centre of Expertise for climate change – ClimateXChange (CXC) - works with Scottish Government policymakers to commission research and analysis to support policy development for adapting to the changing climate and transitioning to net zero. CXC then guides researchers in planning their work to meet policy timelines, helping prioritise scientific resources in line with society’s priorities and create new partnerships with research institutes and universities. Examples of CXC research include:
  • A scoping study on international climate justice, conflict and gender (CXC, 2022)
  • An assessment of options for adapting Scottish agriculture to a changing climate (CXC, 2023)
  • Examining the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on target fish stocks to inform fisheries policy (CXC, 2024)
• Science Evidence Data and Digital (Marine Directorate) and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS) - the Science, Evidence, Data and Digital portfolio of Marine Directorate has over one hundred years' experience delivering high quality science and advice on Scotland's rivers and seas. Marine Directorate collaborates closely with experts across academia and research organisations. Within Scotland, the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland supports this as a consortium of 18 organisations engaged in marine science helping inform Scottish Government decision making.
• James Hutton Institute (JHI) – at the forefront of innovative and transformative science for sustainable management of land, crop and natural resources, the institute is the first of its type in Europe. Their research aims to make major contributions to the understanding of key global issues, such as food, water, energy, environmental security and rural development which helps inform policy development.
• National Centre for Resilience (NCR) – launched in 2016, Scotland's NCR is a cross sector partnership, spanning Scottish universities, the Scottish Government and responder organisations. The NCR supports a network that connects researchers, policy makers and responders, and works to improve our understanding of the impacts of natural hazards, community resilience and water resilience in Scotland. The NCR is an academic research hub, and commissions new projects to address real life issues related to natural hazards in Scotland.
• Loss and damage evidence base - Over the period of the Plan, we will continue to support the development of the global evidence base on addressing non-economic and slow-onset loss and damage, in a way that is gender-responsive. We will also work with our partners to build momentum from non-state actors, using our position as European co-chair of the Under 2 Coalition and on the steering group of Regions 4 to understand how best to unlock loss and damage finance at a subnational level.