Climate change - Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029: child rights and wellbeing impact assessment

Annex 3: The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS) - Consultation Response

The email responses to the consultation included an extensive response from the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS) which included perspectives taken from children and young people. A partial summary of the views received from CYPCS can be viewed below however the response can and should be viewed in full on Citizen’s Space.

Excerpts redacted for brevity include those related to the mitigation of carbon emissions which, while highly valued by the Scottish Government, have been passed on to the relevant colleagues due to this impact assessment focusing on Scotland’s response to the locked-in impacts of climate change.

Response Summary

“Climate change is a horrible thing that has happened to our world.” (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

Many children and young people are concerned about the current and potential future effects of climate change in Scotland and around the world.

During our strategic plan consultation this year, we heard from children and young people from across Scotland on a wide range of issues, including climate change. We have consulted with our Young Advisors on the combined climate and nature crisis, both for this consultation and on the Biodiversity Strategy.

There are several effects and concerns that are repeatedly raised by the children and young people we work with.

‘Climate change is really important. It’s pointless working on everything ese if the planet is not going to be liveable’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

The impact on physical health is of great concern. The World Health Organisation states that climate change presents a ‘fundamental threat to human health’. Children and young people are aware of this and describe to us their worries that climate change will have on their ability to access clean air and water alongside the availability of healthy and nutritious food. We know that climate change exacerbates child health inequalities, children are more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution including an increase in asthma, poorer lung function and negative impact on their growth and development. They are more vulnerable to extreme weather such as heat waves and flooding. An impact of climate change includes rising energy costs meaning, families are struggling to heat their homes. Children, especially infants, are more susceptible to the effects of mould in homes.

Climate change is having an impact on the mental health of children and young people, climate anxiety is something we regularly hear about:

‘Sometimes I get quite sad because it’s overwhelming’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

‘We still care but it makes us anxious and we give up trying’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

Some children report to us that they feel disempowered and burnt out. They feel they have made their voices heard but those in power have not acted. A recent survey by Young Scot has shown that climate change is one of the top issues worrying young people today.

Declining biodiversity is a concern that has been raised by some children, especially concerned about the extinction of animals. They worry about a ‘world with no nature’.

‘People need to stop littering because they are hurting animals.’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

‘There’s not as much wildlife in parks. My Gran says she has seen a decrease of birds in the park. Birds are so important to the ecosystem.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

Our Young Advisors were concerned about the evidence presented in the State of Nature report, that Scottish wildlife has declined by 15% since 1994 and 1 in 9 native species are threatened with extinction. They wanted more done to tackle this.

The lack of access to green and blue spaces is another factor that has been highlighted. Some children and young people who lived in rural areas were concerned about the effects that pheasant shooting has on the environment and the loss of species like the red squirrel. Those in urban areas were dismayed about the lack of green spaces, the fact they couldn’t hear the birds sing or see bees in the gardens.

‘Beaches can have gross garbage in it if you’re swimming.’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

‘There’s a lack of proper green spaces children have access to. There’s always children wanting more but a lack of quality spaces, well maintained spaces. It would be really beneficial for children to experience nature, why it’s important, how we look after it. Some children and young people don’t have a well-developed knowledge.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

‘When I was younger I played in the fields and hill. Now it’s all housing. It was only 5 or 6 years ago. How much natural world are we going to have left?’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

The effects that climate change has on the weather and more drastic weather conditions has also been raised alongside the threat this can cause to health or damage to homes or natural spaces. This can be from flooding, wild fires, heat waves or changes to the seasons. We have heard concerns over melting ice caps and rising sea levels.

‘When there is extreme weather I think about it more but try to forget’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

‘The weather is always changing. It switches. It keeps switching. It doesn’t seem right.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

‘I’ve noticed the weather conditions have been leaning towards the more drastic.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

‘In the winter sometimes there’s no snow. Sometimes they put artificial snow on their slopes.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor – in reference to Aviemore).

There are some particular and disproportionate impacts that climate change may bring to children, young people and their families who are experiencing poverty. There are rising food prices after food production is affected by weather disruption. If changes to the weather become more severe – whether this is more extremes in temperature or damage from flood or wind damage – the costs of adapting will be much harder to met to these families. We recently wrote about this in our response to the proposed Heat in Buildings Bill Consultation.

Whilst we are concerned with the effects of climate change in Scotland, children and young people often speak to us about the global impact of climate change. Scotland has to be conscious not only of the damage that is done to our own environment here in Scotland but the impact we have on a wider scale. We cannot simply ‘outsource’ our emissions, or waste to other countries or rely on taking resources from them. We cannot as a society benefit from acts of ecocide in other countries.

‘It’s frustrating we change our lifestyles but it’s discouraging, It’s caused by big companies – not by average people’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

‘I worry about climate change and how everyone says to do something, but they don’t let us’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

Children and young people regularly demonstrate that they are willing to make personal changes – we have been inspired by some of the climate related activities we have seen in schools – clothing swaps, eco-clubs, school gardens. Many young people are involved in nature-based activities, some simply to enjoy a connection to nature or others to actively care for this such as through the Scouts, Woodcraft Folk or the Junior Rangers Project.

There are many children and young people taking personal actions where they can and demonstrating knowledge and care on issues like fast fashion, recycling, and the circular economy.

A great deal of responsibility is placed on children and young people to make personal changes, sometimes even when adults around them seem unwilling to make changes themselves. Personal changes are only one part of the process and a lot of the changes that need to happen are at a more systemic level by governments or industries.

There are several barriers that would prevent children and young people adapting to climate change.

As outlined above, children and young people are particularly susceptible to physical and mental health related issues because of climate change.

Alongside this, they have limited political power, they cannot vote for parties that would introduce green policies. There is a perception amongst some children that because their votes are not counted, political parties will not aim their policies at them as a group.

Alongside this they lack autonomy and decision-making power in their own homes and communities.

They cannot control what happens in community spaces or how councils will spend their budgets.

The lack of education on climate change is something which children and young people frequently talk to us about. Whilst there is a Learning for Sustainability Plan more should be done to ensure its implementation.

Children and young people clearly want to learn more about environmental issues, including biodiversity loss and what they can do to contribute to improving this. Our Young Advisors wanted young people to be involved in decisions that were made on these issues and highlighted that it’s ‘our future land’. They felt they needed more information to be able to do this;

“There was not enough education provided so I went out and researched it, I didn’t get taught in school” (CYPCS Young Advisor).

They said that PSE could play a major role, teaching about social responsibility. They reflected that if you take higher level biology or geography then the subject will be covered but often this is not in a context applicable to Scotland, it might highlight species and habitat loss in other countries. In these subjects, things are treated as facts to learn for exams and they comment that it is hard to share opinions on this in class. They want more education on what they can do in everyday life – ‘teach us how we can help’.

There is a lack of participation and engagement of children and young people in climate focused areas of policy and law. If the government and policy makers do not include children and young people and listen to their voices, then they cannot be properly part of the solutions. As stated by one Scottish Youth Parliament Member;

‘When young people are part of the conversation, they ensure policies and targets are ambitious and hold decision makers to account. But it is also a critical part of building climate solutions. By involving young people in decision-making on climate in a meaningful way, you gain:

• Fresh ideas and perspectives on climate solutions,
• Future leaders to tackle the challenges we will inherit; and
• the support of a key group who will have to make sustainable personal choices if Scotland is going to tackle the climate emergency.’

For some groups of children there will be additional and intersecting barriers to their ability to adapt for climate change such as; disabled children, those experiencing poverty and children living in rural or island communities.

Setting targets is a way to measure progress towards the goal of halting biodiversity loss and restoring it. It creates a level of accountability to the public, including children and young people. As supported by those in the environmental sector, these targets can serve as the turning point for threatened species and habitats.

“I feel like there’s a lot more talking than doing. The talking they do must align with their actions. Where’s the actions?’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

‘The targets that have been scrapped, That’s something that’s in my head. We’re meant to be one of the big renewable giants in Europe. It’s really disappointing.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

As we have highlighted above, improving the education available to children and young people on climate related matters is key to this.

As is promoting access to green and blue spaces. Encouraging children and young people to have a connection with the natural world – climbing trees, planting seeds, getting muddy knees creates such a relationship.

Exposure to nature also has beneficial effects on mental health, but many children, especially in urban settings, have little or no contact with the natural environment.

Our Young Advisors told us that the options for involvement in such activities are not sufficient. Unless you live in a rural area, look for information yourself or have parents who encourage you into this you were unlikely to get the information you needed or opportunities to connect with nature.

Increased participation is vital. We often see that children and young people are not included in decisions that are made in climate policy making. We have found that when it comes to climate related policy the engagement with children and young people has been lacking. For this consultation itself there were no child friendly materials. The CRWIA stated that:

‘We would like to target engagement at children over a large geographical and household income spread with focus to following groups:

• Island community
• Urban area
• Low income household’

But when we enquired the response indicated that to date there had been no direct engagement with children and young people. Some organisations were invited to a general engagement event – speaking to adults who work with children and young people is not the same as direct engagement.

Adapting for nature-based solutions should be part of the Scottish Government plan to tackle climate change. We have previously expressed our support for the upcoming Natural Environment Bill and the proposed Ecocide Bill.

The government can improve the work it does to listen to children and young people; and include them in decisions being made in a meaningful way. Children and young people have consistently told us that they feel like the government and other decision-makers do not include them properly.

Some told us they feel powerless and that ‘no one listens’ and this can lead to apathy;

‘At this point what can we do – the governments are not doing what they need to’ (Child, CYPCS Strategic Plan consultation response)

Some comment that young people are not taken seriously or that young activists are ridiculed.

We spoke to our Young Advisors about what meaningful and effective participation should look like. They told us that the ways in which consultations were done were a real barrier to them. Little effort is made to make materials available in child friendly formats. Even if child friendly documents are available, these are not going to be appropriate for all children and young people.

‘It works great if it’s easily accessible to all children and young people.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

Some suggested that more has to be done to reach them – politicians and civil servants should be making the effort to engage with schools and other organisations to find out what they think.

‘Workshops are really good ideas. It would work really well if they did that in schools or community groups. Lots of different people.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

They suggested that doing surveys were a good way to allow a range of children to give their opinions.

They thought that making videos was a helpful tool – most children spend time accessing social media and they felt that these communication channels could be better used to reach them.

‘How many people my age are going to read the document? Videos...we live with social media. If you really want a mass of young people, the best way to do that would be to get it over that way.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

‘I know a lot of people in my school don’t enjoy reading and would enjoy listening to podcasts.’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

Some spoke positively about events they had been to in the past on education reform and felt similar formats might be used to discuss climate change.

‘National Discussions...in a local area people from different schools. There was primary and secondary school children talking to each other. It was very good. They had us make videos. I did a rap. I want to know the impact of my rap!’ (CYPCS Young Advisor).

They also wanted to share that being asked about an idea once and then never hearing from decision makers again was not acceptable. They want decision makers to be accountable to them and return to tell them how their input has been used and in what ways it has been effective.

The plan could incorporate some form of duty to consult with children and young people and a clear guide for participation.

Some children and young people have expressed they feel that these industries^[5] may be playing a role in the loss of nature and biodiversity. Whilst all of these sectors play a vital role in Scotland, providing healthy and nutritious food, emissions from agriculture are steadily increasing and overfishing and dredging our seas has caused a number of negative impacts. These industries need to be supported to adapt their practices and made sustainable. Effective advice and support on climate change should be available to them, alongside appropriate restrictions. There should be diversified woodland creation without just a focus on commercial timber.

When it comes to protecting our ocean, children and young people in Scotland show initiative and make suggestions through organisations such as the Ullapool Sea Savers. They highlight the issues caused by activities like dredging and the impact on kelp which underpins the health of coastal waters.

We have particular concerns regarding the supply of nutritious, healthy and affordable food as a result of disruption to supply chains though climate change and biodiversity loss. Families experiencing poverty will be disproportionately affected by this.

Healthier foods like fruit and vegetables and grains are already going up in cost. Less healthy foods are often cheaper options. This fuels health inequalities.

Many children and young people have expressed to us that they would like to have roles in these industries or in conservation, some do not know how they would get into these.

Education on climate change needs to start young. Children have to be supported in age-appropriate ways throughout their education, and see the potential career paths. This will lead to new green innovations, future expertise, and talent.

As previously stated, children and young people are clear that Scotland should play its part within a global community and support other countries hit hardest by the effects of climate change.

It would also be valuable to update the Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment to help track longer term outcomes and help to mitigate any negative impacts.

We note that the impact of climate change and biodiversity loss is disproportionately felt by groups experiencing socio-economic disadvantage. It can exacerbate health inequalities. Low-income households may have limited economic resources which will decrease their capacity to adapt their homes to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Children and young people are disproportionately affected. The proposed Adaptation Plan has the potential to mitigate some of the effects of this.

These issues directly engage UNCRC rights, now incorporated into Scots law, including;

• Article 6 - the right to life and development.
• Article 24 - the right to good quality health care and a clean environment.
• Article 27 - the right to a decent standard of living, including food, housing, water.
• Article 29 – the right to education that supports children to learn to respect the natural environment

Scotland (along with the rest of the world) faces a nature-climate crisis. Climate change and biodiversity loss is a children’s rights issue and as such a rights-based approach should be taken. Climate change and the decline in biodiversity go hand in hand – we need to preserve nature, combat climate change and provide clean air, water and food sources.

The UN Committee on Rights of the Child highlighted the importance of these issues in its most recent General Comment No. 26 (2023) which focused on children’s rights and the environment:

‘The extent and magnitude of the triple planetary crisis, comprising the climate emergency, the collapse of biodiversity and pervasive pollution, is an urgent and systemic threat to children’s rights globally.’

The most recent Concluding Observations made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child with regard to the UK highlighted the need to:

‘Ensure that national policies and programmes on addressing environmental protection, climate change and disaster risk management… are developed and implemented in accordance with the principles of the Convention and take into account children’s needs and views .’

The UN’s Special Rapporteur on the environment commented that children are more at risk from environmental problems than adults but their views and interests are often left out of decisions. Children and young people should be properly involved in decision making processes surrounding these issues. This should be meaningful, effective and not tokenistic. They must be actively involved in identifying solutions and policy and legislative changes to address the environmental emergency.

Children and young people must also be properly protected from any negative reprisals from acting as human rights defenders, when taking part in demonstrations.

A child’s right to a healthy environment goes beyond what is needed just for basic survival, their right to health should be to the highest attainable standard.

Everyone depends on healthy ecosystems, children and young people require this for their development at key stages. It has been shown that interaction with microbial diversity is necessary for the development of healthy immune systems, the loss of this is linked to an increase in autoimmune diseases, allergic disorders and other inflammatory diseases.

As we have outlined, the effective participation of children and young people in climate policy making and implementation^[6].