Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme
Good afternoon. The first item of business is a statement by Paul Wheelhouse on “Climate Ready Scotland: Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme”. The minister will take questions at the end of his statement and there should therefore be no interventions or interruptions. Minister, you have 10 minutes.
Today, I lay before Parliament the Scottish Government’s final Scottish climate change adaptation programme. The programme is in accordance with section 53 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
There is no doubt in my mind that climate change poses one of the greatest threats to the world as we know it. The latest evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sends a stronger warning than ever that human activity is changing the global climate. On 31 March, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published the second volume of its fifth assessment report, “Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”. The evidence supports urgent action to reduce emissions to avoid dangerous climate change and the necessity to adapt to those changes that we can no longer avoid.
Climate change is affecting every continent, contributing to heatwaves, drought and flooding across the globe. Heavy rains and floods are not only now common here but now commonplace in Africa, with devastating effects in countries such as Sudan and Somalia, while north-eastern Brazil has experienced its worst drought in the past 50 years and typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall, devastated parts of the central Philippines with tragic results. The impact is also being seen in our seas and on our coastlines, with the significant threat of coastal erosion from a global sea level rise of up to 82cm by the end of this century. That would displace millions and cause massive damage to important natural habitats as well as enormous economic damage.
Scotland will not be immune, and we are already seeing evidence of Scotland’s climate changing. Temperatures in Scotland between 2003 and 2007 were the highest since the record began in 1910. Average winter rainfall in the 1990s and 2000s was around 23 per cent higher than the 1961-1990 baseline, and there is a trend of increasing rainfall intensity in parts of Scotland. As recently as this past winter, Scotland experienced the devastating effects that extreme weather can bring. A succession of major winter storms from mid-December to early January saw disruption across Scotland’s rail network and airports, several thousand homes without power and traffic accidents and fatalities. Dumfries and Galloway experienced severe flooding as the River Nith burst its banks and the River Girvan in Ayrshire was recorded as being at its highest level for 16 years. Some places in Scotland saw more than 600mm of rainfall over a five-week period and overall it was the wettest December and wettest month in the records dating back to 1910.
Although the aggregate impacts of climate change might be less severe in Scotland than in many other parts of the world, we will be faced with new challenges. Recent evidence from the Met Office shows that, when viewed over long-term averages, the United Kingdom is expected to see more milder, wetter winters and more hotter, drier summers in the future. However, the UK has seasonal weather that also varies hugely from year to year due to natural processes. We should also plan to be resilient to wet summers and to cold winters throughout this century.
The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 is still the most ambitious piece of climate change legislation anywhere in the world and, although there are, no doubt, many challenges ahead, Scotland is making progress, with the biggest fall in emissions in western Europe. However, despite our commitment to reduce emissions, the inertia of the climate systems means that some degree of further climate change is inevitable over the coming decades. That is why the Scottish Government is fully committed not only to the greenhouse gas emissions targets that the 2009 act sets out but to ensuring that Scotland is well prepared and resilient to the impacts of climate change. In doing so, it has been important to consider the statutory requirements of the 2009 act when preparing the adaptation programme.
The programme must set out Scottish ministers’ objectives in relation to adaptation to climate change, proposals and policies for meeting those objectives and the period within which they will be introduced. The programme must also set out the arrangements for involving employers, trade unions and other stakeholders in meeting Scottish ministers’ objectives, and the mechanisms for ensuring public engagement in meeting them. The programme must also address the risks in the UK climate change risk assessment. Our programme delivers on all that.
On where we see our role in addressing climate change, Scotland does not lack ambition. As a nation, we can all take pride in that. The impacts of climate change will affect Scotland as a whole and we all have a role to play in ensuring that Scotland is well prepared and resilient to change.
Wider engagement will be key to delivering our adaptation objectives. Adapting to the impacts of climate change will require a mixture of actions at local, national and international levels, and responsibility for adapting rests with organisations, businesses and communities across Scotland. It would be neither appropriate nor feasible for the Scottish Government to directly prepare every organisation for the impacts of climate change, but our adaptation programme provides a framework for everyone in Scotland to contribute to the delivery of the objectives within their own organisation, business or community.
Adaptation is about understanding and managing the risks and opportunities; about taking action through collective and mutual support, collaboration and partnership working; and about evaluation and review and being flexible in the face of uncertainty. Our programme does that by integrating adaptation within Scottish Government policies and strategies; by helping people to understand and plan for the risks and opportunities that are presented by the changing climate and encouraging and facilitating partnership working; and through regular monitoring and reporting.
Committee scrutiny and responses to the public consultation were invaluable in the development of the final programme, as they highlighted the strengths of the programme as well as areas where it could be developed further. Where appropriate, we have addressed those things in the programme, and where it has not been possible we will consider other areas in the longer term and for future programmes.
The Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee and consultation respondents sought clarification on timescales, funding and responsibilities. On timescales, the schedule of work to develop and implement each policy and proposal in the adaptation programme will start from the position that the policy or proposal presently occupies in relevant Government programmes. There are inevitable uncertainties about exact timescales across the broad range of policies and proposals in the programme, which is why it offers a broad definition of timescales. That is consistent with the approach that was taken in “Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting our Emissions Reduction Targets 2013-2027—the Second Report on Proposals and Policies”, which was published last year.
On funding, we are investing in and planning for the changing climate by firmly embedding climate change adaptation and related costs into the policies and proposals that are set out in the programme. We are also providing support and core funding for adaptation through the development of a robust evidence base, including annual funding to the ClimateXChange adaptation research programme; programmes to develop adaptive capacity, including adaptation Scotland; and policy-specific action, including annual funding to the Scottish Flood Forum.
On responsibilities, although the Scottish Government as a whole is responsible for the policies and proposals in the programme, we will work collaboratively with a wide range of partners to deliver the programme of work that is set out. The fact that our adaptation programme contains many examples of adaptation actions in Scotland demonstrates that a wide range of organisations across Scotland are already taking responsibility for their share of action and working collaboratively to achieve results.
Our programme provides a framework for activity, but it is not a statement of everything that we are doing. The wide-ranging nature of the impacts, the complex interactions and the emerging evidence mean that our response must be adaptable. We should not be tied to a specific course of action. Work will continue outside the programme as new evidence emerges and our understanding of the effects of climate change and their impacts develops.
Of course, the programme is not an end in itself. Due to the inherent uncertainty in some aspects of climate change, adaptation policies need to be flexible and to be adjusted as and when new information becomes available. Our policies and proposals will evolve and develop during each programme, providing the flexibility that is needed to adjust to new understanding and information as it becomes available.
We will use the framework that is set out in the programme to continue to integrate adaptation within Scottish Government policies and strategies and encourage and facilitate partnership working. That on-going development of the Scottish Government’s action will be reflected in regular reports on progress and in future adaptation programmes. Work is already under way with ClimateXChange and the adaptation sub-committee of the United Kingdom Committee on Climate Change to consider indicators against which progress can be assessed.
I believe that Scotland’s first statutory climate change adaptation programme contains a comprehensive package of measures that make clear the Scottish Government’s on-going commitment to ensuring that Scottish Government policy, as far as possible, helps Scotland to adapt to the effects of climate change, creates a more resilient country for us to live and work in and helps to protect Scotland’s much-loved natural environment. I thank all those who helped to shape the programme that we have laid before the Parliament today. I look forward to taking questions.
The minister will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement. I intend to allow 20 minutes or so for questions, after which we need to move on to the next item of business.
I thank the minister for sight of his statement.
The Scottish Government is legally required to produce a climate adaption programme, the overarching aim of which is
“to increase the resilience of Scotland’s people, environment and economy to the impacts of a changing climate.”
I am disappointed in the process this afternoon, because it has been impossible to assess in any real sense the final programme, as we only received it 20 minutes before the statement was made. I hope that there will be further opportunity to scrutinise the document in the chamber.
I stress that we are very keen to continue to work in a cross-party manner on these important long-term issues. Thus, we have some brief initial questions. How does the minister envisage that the programme will help to achieve the future annual emissions targets, given that there have been some initial difficulties?
In his statement, the minister highlighted
“a broad definition of timescales.”
In view of some stakeholders’ criticisms of the programme being too short term, what plans does the minster have to extend the programme beyond the first five years, in line with the report on proposals and policies structure?
Monitoring is essential. The minister agreed with the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee that it is crucial to
“develop indicators that effectively measure progress towards the aims and objectives”.—[Official Report, Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee, 6 November 2013; c 2907.]
Can the minister give more details, beyond the organisations that are involved, of the plans for monitoring?
In his statement, the minister recognised the challenges that were faced last winter. Roughly 18 per cent of Scotland’s coastline is highly susceptible to erosion and the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee heard that careful targeting of areas is needed to make them more resilient. The minister confirmed that that was actively being considered by the Scottish Government. Has that been developed?
Lastly—
You are way over time.
Am I way over time?
I have been extremely generous.
Could I finish with one sentence?
I will allow the minister to answer your questions.
Right—thank you.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will do my best.
I apologise to Claudia Beamish and other members if there were technical problems getting the document to them today. I will endeavour to answer the questions that Claudia Beamish raised.
How does the programme help to achieve emissions targets? The more that the public understands the importance of climate change and how it will affect our lives, communities, business and the wider society that we live in through the adaptation programme and the influence that it has on behaviours, the more we will potentially lock in positive behavioural change to help us to meet our emissions targets. I hope that the programme will help communities to understand why certain things have to happen from an adaptation point of view and a climate change mitigation point of view.
I hope that, as a result of our improved understanding of adaptation and why it is so important to society, the programme will set a more positive narrative than there has been in the past about why certain investments and land use changes have to occur to facilitate climate change mitigation.
There is a mixture of timescales set out in the programme, which reflects its organic nature. It will change over time. It refers to key Government documents that will themselves change over time, such as the planning policy and the land use strategy, which is shortly to be reviewed, as Claudia Beamish will know. Therefore, it would be a mistake for the programme to contain specific text from those documents or for the programme to be structured too rigidly. We have maintained a degree of flexibility so that the programme can evolve and reflect change as it happens.
Page 74 of the programme sets out some specific details on timelines for Scottish Water’s investment programme. Similarly, there are details on Historic Scotland’s action plan for 2012 to 2017. We have a deadline of the end of the year for local strategies to be developed on flood risk management.
In other areas, we have been more flexible, because strategies will evolve and timelines are not yet certain. Of course, we do not know at this time exactly how climate change will unfold. A lot will depend on how much action the world takes to mitigate climate change, including what temperature rise scenario we will face as a society.
What actions will the Scottish Government take to ensure that each Government department will put climate change and climate change adaption high enough on their agenda to effectively mitigate the public sector’s environmental footprints?
Paul Wheelhouse rose—
What can be done to incentivise peatland retention and restoration as a way of absorbing more CO2?
The adaption programme suggests that parts of Scottish agriculture and forestry might experience positive change as a result of changes in our climate. Can the minister give details of what research is being done on that, so that some producers might be able to benefit?
Lastly, with regard to the farming for a better climate programme, how will the Government highlight the financial savings that are being achieved on the focus farms to all other farmers and crofters, in order to spread best practice?
I should have known better than to stand up after Jamie McGrigor’s first question. I will try to answer his questions as best I can but, again, I will pick up later on anything that I miss today.
On leadership, we have established the public sector climate leaders forum. At the forum’s most recent meeting, which Claudia Beamish attended as an observer for the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee, we discussed adaptation and the five key steps that the public sector can take to address it. I assure Jamie McGrigor that the question of how we adapt to climate change features in cross-Government and cross-departmental conversations; indeed, every Government department inputted extensively into the document on the basis of their portfolio interests to ensure that it reflected what could be undertaken and the risks and challenges that are faced in each area. For example, we need to understand the impact on critical transport infrastructure, the energy sector and other areas, and then get feed-in from the specialists. That has been a core part of producing the document that has been laid before the Parliament today, but I assure Jamie McGrigor that we will continue that cross-portfolio engagement on adaptation.
On Mr McGrigor’s final question, I know that the cabinet secretary was making an announcement today about further funding for the farming for a better climate programme. It is certainly very important. Just to give a flavour of it, I know that at least two of the monitoring farms reduced carbon dioxide emissions by between 10 and 11 per cent and that their underlying business gained commensurate financial benefits. That shows that the approach is not just good for the environment but very good for the farms as businesses.
Finally, I undertake to give Jamie McGrigor further feedback on his other questions.
Eleven back benchers wish to ask the minister a question. I ask that the questions be short—that is, there should be only one question—and that the answers be equally brief.
I note in the “Climate Ready Society” section of the document the need for effective public engagement if the adaptation programme is to meet its objectives. Will the minister expand on the triggers that will make action possible beyond Government to ensure that the crucial involvement of families, communities, public bodies, private business and local authorities is taken into account?
Rob Gibson is right to raise that issue, which I alluded to in my opening remarks. Communities, businesses and individuals have an extremely important role to play in this matter. If we can, as I suggested in my response to Claudia Beamish, influence their behaviour with regard to adaptation, it will have a knock-on impact on our efforts to tackle climate change.
Public bodies and local authorities can also play a vital role in supporting communities and businesses in that respect, and the Scottish Government is helping to facilitate that in a number of ways, principally by providing leadership in the public sector climate leaders forum that I referred to in my response to Jamie McGrigor; by supporting the 2020 climate group, which provides strategic direction for action in the business sector; by providing advice and guidance through the adaptation Scotland programme, which works with public bodies, organisations and communities on how to take action; and by supporting ClimateXChange in its work with a range of stakeholders on specific research projects and pilots. We also want to provide financial support through measures such as the climate challenge fund to help communities at a local level.
How does the climate change adaptation programme relate to the low carbon Scotland behaviours framework, and how will that be monitored?
Cara Hilton has made a good point. In outlining our action on climate mitigation, we have made strong use of the individual, social and material—or ISM—modelling tool, which helps Government to understand the implications of behavioural triggers for change with regard not only to mitigation but to adaptation. The approach can be equally applied to individual circumstances, the social context in which people live and work and material triggers such as regulatory powers that might trigger a change in behaviour. Understanding the behavioural aspects of climate policy helps to inform Government, other public sector agencies and, indeed, businesses about how best to influence that behaviour in a positive way. If the member does not already have information on ISM, I am happy to provide her with further detail on it.
Will the minister provide further information on support and funding for adaptation?
With regard to the adaptation funding that we have already outlined, there has been a good degree of work on flood risk management. Indeed, as the member knows, we provide £42 million a year through the local government capital settlement for flood protection.
In addition, we must provide support to public bodies for implementing the climate change duties. We provide informational guidance on climate change adaptation duties and how to comply with them. Guidance for public sector, third sector and business sector partners is disseminated through Adaptation Scotland, to which we provide core funding. In responding to Jamie McGrigor, I referred to “Five steps to managing your climate risks”. I also mention the business climate risk management plan and support for communities through a new resource called “Are you ready?”, as well as direct engagement with communities.
We provide core funding for the development of a robust evidence base, with about £1 million annually to fund a ClimateXChange adaptation research programme. There are programmes to develop adaptive capacity, which includes funding of around £250,000 for Adaptation Scotland to help organisations and communities. There are policy-specific actions, including annual funding of £140,000 to the Scottish Flood Forum to help it to support communities that have been affected by or are at risk of flooding.
Can the minister reassure the Parliament that the mechanisms are in place to ensure that the Scottish Government and partners are able to assess how to adapt and respond to the needs at hand and to new research as it arises, as argued by Scottish Environment LINK?
Research is clearly very important. That is why we fund ClimateXChange to undertake the work that I outlined earlier. At the leadership forum that we held last year, we discussed with business, public sector and community stakeholders how to work together to show leadership on climate change.
The public sector climate leaders forum has just been re-established, and the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee has an observer role on it. That is a very important forum for identifying how we can work together and learn from one another. There are steps that have already been taken in the private sector that the public sector can learn from, and vice versa. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. There are lots of good behaviours already happening. Indeed, councils—not necessarily all of them under Scottish National Party control—are doing very good things. We should disseminate good practice and ensure that local authorities across the country are sharing their knowledge.
Research is important, whether it is informal or formal, and the sharing of information and best practice is crucial if we are to achieve quick results in both adapting and mitigating climate change.
I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests in relation to my membership of the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
On objective B3-12, on “Improving driver skills”, is the minister aware that driving 10mph slower delivers 10 per cent cash savings and 10 per cent emissions savings for only a 2 to 3 per cent average speed reduction on journeys? Will the minister commission work to identify how we might develop a response to that in a Scottish context?
I know that Stewart Stevenson has a long-standing, close interest in the issue. Yes, reducing speed will have a benefit in reducing emissions through fuel-efficient driving. We are enabling people to become responsible drivers, reducing emissions, not just through speed control but through other measures such as gear selection to drive more efficiently.
We have funded the Energy Saving Trust to provide 2,000 FuelGood sessions this year. We are also continuing to examine demand to ensure that we can support as many drivers as possible.
On the specific issue about whether to commission work, I will have a discussion with Keith Brown on the matter, as it cuts across his portfolio interests. I promise to raise the issue with Mr Brown to see whether there is any possibility of examining what the impact could be on our climate emission targets.
Will the minister publish the number of houses that have benefited from energy efficiency and renewables installations year by year and by local authority, so that we can monitor that key ambition of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 in reducing emissions and eradicating fuel poverty? That would enable us to track progress and identify obstacles to progress.
I recognise the importance of the issue that Sarah Boyack raises. I know that it is of close personal interest to her, and we have discussed it before. I am happy to have a discussion with colleagues about how we can produce that kind of information. Clearly, the issue is one of mitigation more than one of adaptation, although there is also an adaptation impact, so I see the relevance of it: we have more erratic weather and people will be exposed to poorer weather conditions, as we saw in 2010, when the weather unfortunately impacted on our achievement of targets.
I see the significance of the issue. I do not have an answer for the member today; I will need to discuss with my colleague Margaret Burgess what we might be able to do regarding the available data. However, I can tell the member that we are looking at publishing more information in line with the requests from parliamentary committees regarding how we are monitoring our progress against RPP2. I hope that that will help to inform that kind of understanding.
Extreme weather patterns that range from intense and sustained periods of wetness to lengthy very dry spells create difficulties for the agricultural sector in Scotland. What thought, if any, has been given to encouraging water storage projects on farmland to ensure that, when the heavens open, we bank the downfall for the far less rainy days to come, thereby protecting food production?
That is the flip-side of an issue that we discuss on a regular basis—how we can use natural flood management to prevent flooding in communities. Opportunities exist to take such action. The areas for natural flood management that the recently published flood risk hazard maps identify could be used to store water for areas that will suffer erratic weather conditions, such as periodic drought. I would be happy to meet Mr Dey to find out what ideas he might have in that regard and whether there are any opportunities to consider such projects in Angus.
The minister mentioned the severe flooding around the River Nith in the south-west of my region back in January. I know that the farming community there has been badly affected. The minister will be aware of an application for funding support to construct flood defences, which is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council. Can he provide an assurance that that request will be looked on favourably?
We recognise that the situation that was faced in Dumfries and Galloway over the festive period was particularly stressful. I am sure that the announcement of additional funding for Dumfries and Galloway Council to address the damage that was done to flood defences in the area was welcomed by Jim Hume.
There is the longer-term issue of what we can do to help communities such as those in Dumfries and Galloway to adapt to climate change. That is why we are looking closely at options for further extending the flood warning systems in the area. In addition, we will look sympathetically at the bids that Dumfries and Galloway Council makes, but they must comply with the criteria that are set in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Unfortunately, at the time of the recent process, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s bid was not complete, so it could not be approved, but we will consider the needs of the community in Dumfries sympathetically.
I would like to extend the previous question. One of the consequences of large amounts of water falling out of the sky is that, once they hit the ground, they come down pre-existing watercourses, which means that we know where the major floods will arise. Does the minister agree that one of the best steps that we could take would be to ensure that the capital is spent earlier rather than later? The risk is there, and the sooner we can mitigate it, the better. Therefore, large sums need to be—
I think that we get the question.
I recognise the point that is being made. In climate mitigation and climate adaptation, there is a very good argument to be made that early action helps to avoid higher costs in the longer term. That is why it is important that we maintain our commitment to providing £42 million a year through the local government capital settlement to support flood protection investment. I give Nigel Don an undertaking that that remains a high priority and that we will look to continue to make such strategic investment.
Following on from the point that Nigel Don made, communities such as New Cumnock in Ayrshire know from bitter experience that investment in flood prevention and resilience is paramount. I understand that the nature of funding for flood defences is such that it is primarily dependent on local authorities and not central Government. We are aware—
We need a question, Mr Pearson.
We are aware that some local authorities have reported significant underfunding. What impact does the minister anticipate that that underfunding might have?
I assure Mr Pearson that discussions are on-going with COSLA about how we can provide further funding to deal with flooding in the future.
I put on the record the fact that, in capital terms, we have provided the equivalent of about three times as much flood protection funding per property at risk as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has provided in England. We are putting in a high level of investment relative to the scale of risk that exists in Scotland, but I assure Mr Pearson that we are working closely with COSLA on how we can continue to allocate funding to deal with the issue in the future.
Will a long-term approach to the management of surface water to ensure that sewer systems are resilient to climate change encourage the use of permeable landscaping and planning guidance, wherever appropriate, as well as the replacement of Victorian and other aged drainage and sewer systems that are no longer fit for purpose?
The short answer is that we are sympathetic to that point. Mr Mackay will be happy to consider it. I understand the point that is being made. In some places, the concreting over of many gardens has contributed to the overloading of sewers. We will be happy to consider that issue for Alison Johnstone.
I thank the minister and members for their co-operation; we have finished bang on time.