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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Scotland's climate is changing. The world needs to cut emissions to limit the extent of climate change, but even if all greenhouse gases were stopped throughout the world, the climate would still continue to change for many years to come. Therefore, alongside cutting emissions, Scotland needs to find ways to adapt to a new and challenging climate. By planning and preparing for change now, Scotland will be better placed to take advantage of any opportunities and build its resilience to any potential negative consequences change brings.
Scotland's Climate Change Adaptation Framework
This consultation seeks your views on a Framework through which the Scottish Government will seek to build resilience to the unavoidable consequences of a changing climate. The Framework sets the strategic direction for Scottish Government actions but, because many adaptation decisions are taken at a local level by individual organisations, action from across all sectors will be required to achieve its objectives. The Framework will help decision takers by focusing ongoing action on three areas:
- Exposure: the degree to which Scotland is exposed to change such as increases in annual temperature.
This will be addressed by developing a better understanding of the consequences of a changing climate and both the challenges and opportunities it presents; - Adaptive Capacity: the ability of organisations and stakeholders to identify risks and take appropriate action.
This will be addressed by working to equip stakeholders with the skills and tools needed to adapt to a changing climate; and - Competing pressures: the degree to which organisations are restricted in how much they can do to adapt to a changing climate by other, competing pressures and constraints.
This will be addressed by work to provide wider public policy and regulation that, wherever possible, is a help, not a hindrance, to addressing climate change issues.
Action programme
The objectives of the Adaptation Framework will be delivered through a programme of Government action (the Action Programme for 2009-2011 can be found in Annex A). But this is just a start. Our climate will change gradually over the coming decades. As it does, our knowledge and understanding will increase. Areas of uncertainty will gradually become more certain, and new threats and opportunities will be identified. The action programme will be refreshed; individual actions will be monitored and evaluated; and new actions will be added to the programme whenever the need arises.
Working together
Climate change is a global issue that knows no boundaries. Scotland will be stronger if government, organisations and individuals work together rather than work in isolation. In taking the adaptation agenda forward, the Government will work collaboratively with a range of partners: pursuing opportunities to work in partnership with other UK Administrations, the EU Commission, Scottish local authorities, other public bodies and the third sector.
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