Climate change: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029

Executive Summary

Adapting to climate change is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s mission to improve the wellbeing of people living in Scotland, now and in the future.

Climate change means that Scotland will be wetter in winters, drier in summers, sea level rise will continue, and our weather will become more variable and unpredictable. Extremes will be more common. However, the impact of climate change is already being felt now both around the world and here at home. Intense, short periods of rainfall are causing increased flooding. Possible extended periods of drought could bring water scarcity. Nine out of ten of our hottest years on record have come this century. Extreme weather events, and the cascading impacts of climate change, are putting more pressure than ever before on lives and livelihoods.

This Scottish National Adaptation Plan sets out actions to build Scotland’s resilience to climate change. It does this through support for our communities, businesses, public services and nature to adapt to the changing climate in a way that is fair and inclusive. The Adaptation Plan sets out a long term vision and defines Scotland’s priorities for action over the next five years. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 contains a legal duty across the public sector to help deliver the objectives, and the Adaptation Plan describes how we will support Scots to adapt and continue to live well in Scotland’s changing climate.

This Adaptation Plan has been in development since the third the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (UKCCRA3) was formally adopted in January 2022, setting out 61 risks and opportunities faced by all four UK nations - see annex A. Ongoing activities are highlighted throughout the document, underlining the Scottish Government’s commitment to mitigate the impacts of climate change at every opportunity.

Over the next five years, this Adaptation Plan commits to delivering over 200 policies and actions, including:

• Ensuring all parts of Scotland are building climate resilience though regional partnerships, local action and climate-resilient economies.
• Improving flood warnings for businesses and communities across Scotland, and building rainwater networks in urban areas to manage flash flooding.
• Encouraging behaviour change to help households and communities cope with both too much and too little water.
• Strengthening our new national network of Climate Action Hubs and ensuring that the Hubs are supporting vulnerable communities to adapt.
• Shifting half of all agricultural funding to be conditional on delivering for climate and nature, including climate adaptation.
• Increasing Scotland’s railway resilience through investing approximately £400 million over the next five years, with multiple benefits for passengers.
• Developing an investment plan that connects nature finance and adaptation outcomes, including a suite of actions to mobilise public, and responsible private and philanthropic finance supported by an expert taskforce.
• Strengthening the skills and capacity of businesses, communities and organisations to adapt though the Adaptation Scotland programme.
• Establishing the adaptation.scot online hub to help people access tools, resources and advice on adaptation action.
• Delivering a suite of new tools and advice tailored for businesses, including a guide for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and sector-specific tools to support entities most exposed to climate change impacts.
• Leading the way in climate adaptation monitoring, publishing an adaptation monitoring and evaluation framework, supporting annual reporting to the Scottish Parliament and best practice both nationally and internationally in this emerging work.
• Supporting connectivity and resilience of our island populations through fleet renewal of ferry services, with reducing weather-related disruption as a priority.
• Delivering for international communities disproportionately affected by climate impacts through our £36 million Climate Justice Fund.
• Delivering comprehensive climate resilience actions across NHS Scotland, including greening the NHS estate.
• Working to improve long-term health outcomes for people, including Public Health Scotland delivering the Adverse Weather and Health Plan.
• Protecting our cultural and historic heritage through improved adaptation actions for historic buildings.
• Building the Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network, led by Adaptation Scotland, which provides opportunities for learning and best practice.

Climate change impacts people and places in multiple ways, and communities with less capacity to adapt because of existing inequalities will need support. This Adaptation Plan focuses on actions that are effective and inclusive, as part of Scotland’s just transition. An Easy Read version, accompanied by a Gaelic language translation and a children’s version, of the Adaptation Plan have been created.

The Adaptation Plan is structured in five chapters, covering five outcomes to deliver a climate resilient Scotland. Under each outcome are objectives where key policy actions are set out. Climate risks are interconnected and have the potential to cascade, so our response must be just as agile. The outcomes and objectives have been designed to complement each other, and key policies and actions are prioritised to deliver multiple benefits.