While urgent action to reduce emissions is vital, so is action to reduce Scotland's vulnerability to the impact of our already changing climate. Some degree of climate change is unavoidable, as the impacts over the next 30 to 40 years have been determined by our past and present emissions. We cannot prevent these, but we can adapt.
Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Climate Change
June 24 2008
Scotland is already feeling the effects of a changing climate.
The Scottish Government is seeking effective options to help reduce Scotland's vulnerability to the unavoidable consequences of climate change, safeguard communities, minimise disruption to services and infrastructure, and help business take advantage of the new opportunities that these changes will present.
On June 24 2008, the Scottish Government published a consultation Adapting our Ways: Managing Scotland's Climate Risk. The consultation is seeking views to inform Scotland's Climate Change Adaptation Framework. Responses are invited via the on-line consultation questionnaire template.
The Framework will identify strategic principles and priority actions as a means of providing leadership, guidance and consistency of approach to government and non-government decision-makers. It will also seek to identify roles and responsibilities for public and private decision makers in Scotland.
The consultation will run in two stages. The first stage of the consultation will connect with the current stakeholder debate on climate change adaptation, while recognising that the final Framework will need to be informed by several crucial developments occurring in late 2008 and early 2009, including the Scottish Climate Change Bill coming before the Scottish Parliament. The second stage of the consultation will be launched in 2009.
The first stage consultation will close on Friday October 31 2008. Please note that late responses can not be included in the consultation analysis.