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05 STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES AND PRIORITY ACTIONS FOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION

5.1 This chapter sets out how a sustainable approach to climate adaptation supports the Scottish Government's overall purpose. It also proposes the strategic principles and priority actions that should underpin the Government's adaptation framework.

5.2 The Scottish Government's overall purpose is to focus government and public services on creating a more successful country with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. Sustainable economic growth is defined as building a dynamic and growing economy that will provide prosperity and opportunities for all, while ensuring that future generations can enjoy a better quality of life too. The Purpose sets out the approach for the whole of the public sector to work collaboratively with the private, academic and voluntary sectors.

5.3 To achieve this purpose, the Government has identified 15 National Outcomes. Planning for and adapting to the impacts of climate change supports many of these National Outcomes, in particular:

We live in well-designed, sustainable places where we are able to access the amenities and services we need;

We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others; and

We value and enjoy our built and natural environment and protect it and enhance it for future generations.

5.4 Planning for, and managing the risks posed by, the impacts of climate change supports the Government purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth. Through identifying vulnerable sectors and adjusting activity to account for that vulnerability, the resilience and capacity of sectors is strengthened. As illustrated in the Stern Review ⁸, there are numerous studies of climate-sensitive sectors that point to adaptation options that will provide benefits in excess of costs. Furthermore, unlike mitigation efforts to reduce emissions, many actions to adapt provide local benefits that are realised without long lag times.

5.5 However, adaptation is an ongoing process. It involves the ongoing integration of options, costs and risks by private and public decision makers in different locations and over different timescales. There is value in developing an approach to climate adaptation that can guide the many decision making processes over time. This approach should be one of sustainability - that builds the resilience of our communities and the long-term prosperity of our environment and our economy.

Strategic principles for climate adaptation

5.6 We propose that a sustainable approach to climate adaptation should be underpinned by the following principles:

• Adaptation should be through actions that build resilience.Actions to adapt should build strong communities, sustainable economic growth and a healthy environment. Resilience means the ability to recover quickly and easily and is used by the Scottish Resilience Units (see Box 5.1) to deliver the 'four As': Awareness + Avoidance + Alleviation + Assistance. ⁹
• Adaptation should be continuous and responsive to new information.
  Actions to adapt must account for inherent uncertainty of climate projections through monitoring and reviewing systematically. This improves the knowledge base by identifying those responses which have been successful and allows for the incorporation of new information on risk.
• Adaptation should be integrated into normal development and implementation practices. Climate resilience and risk management should be integrated into existing management processes and decisions, as an extension of good development practice.
• Adaptation should be integrated at an appropriate scale and involve relevant levels of decision-making.
  Government has a strategic role to play, but an effective response to the impacts of climate change will require decision-making by many organisations and individual actors in society. Climate adaptation may involve working at a wider scale than an individual business or service, requiring a joined-up approach to address changes such as the geographical shift of species.
• Adaptation must be addressed alongside actions to reduce emissions.
  Actions to manage the impacts of the changing climate must also meet ongoing requirements to reduce emissions. Similarly, actions to reduce emissions should comply with the adaptation principles set out here.
• Adaptation by one sector should not restrict adaptation by other sectors.
  Decisions taken by individual organisations, businesses and individuals to manage risks should aim to build resilience for other interests too, through promoting strong communities, sustainable economic growth and the conservation of biodiversity.

Strategic priority actions for climate adaptation

5.7 Actions for adapting to the impacts of climate change can have several functions. Actions can directly reduce vulnerabilities to climate risk or exploit opportunities. They can enhance resilience to change. Alternatively, actions can develop the capacity or skills base to develop adaptation actions. ¹⁰ We propose the following strategic priority actions for Government to promote a well-adapting Scotland:

• Where possible, act now
  Climate change is often seen as something that will happen in the future. However, many decision-makers are seeing the impact of current weather events, through costs on their organisations over and above 'business as usual' costs. Where lack of information is not a barrier, climate risk management plans should be integrated into operational planning now. Where limited knowledge remains a barrier, adaptation actions with no or low risk may remain an option until better information becomes available.
• Provide leadership and coordination
  Government must provide leadership and coordination by mainstreaming sustainable adaptation principles through its own plans, policies and guidelines.
• Build adaptive capacity
  Improve accessibility to information and encourage the development of skills in decision-makers to use that information. Ensure effective communications between key decision-makers, in order to design effective adaptation responses.
• Reduce and manage uncertainty
  Improve the knowledge base through developing a strategic approach to research and participating in partnerships that share best practice and findings; including understanding how to plan and manage for uncertainty. (The Precautionary Principle is a good guide to decision-making in the face of prevailing uncertainty ¹¹).
• Educate the public and other sectors on the nature of climate risks and how they can be managed.
  A well-adapting Scotland will require the active participation of everyone - individual households, businesses, community groups, the voluntary, public and private sector. Government must support the ability of these actors to adapt well by improving the level of understanding of the nature and risks of climate change and how they can better manage for this risk. See Box 5.2 for more examples of initiatives that support this priority action in the education sector.

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