Community development and Climate - Policy overview
/What does climate policy mean for communities?
Climate action can be confusing for both practitioners and communities, however as climate activities are taking place across a number of sectors it also presents more opportunities for joint-up collaborative work and projects.
Areas where current and future opportunities exist, and practical actions could be introduced and expanded include:
Transport – encouraging more active travel through community projects and activities not only lowers emissions but also improves the health and mental wellbeing of individuals and families. The Active Travel Champions Project facilitated by Transition St Andrews shows practical actions that can be taken in this area.
Energy – a huge number of opportunities exist within the energy sector that relate to climate action from community benefits from windfarms to community heating programmes. Linlith-Go-Solar is a good example of a where a community enterprise initiative is being used for the benefit of the whole town of Linlithgow.
Green Homes and buildings – how we heat our buildings and insulate our homes is closely linked to climate change and reducing future carbon emissions. It has been a topical discussion over the last few years and will continue to be in the future. Home Energy Scotland continues to work with local groups to reduce overall energy use and encourage behaviour change within the community. Local Energy Scotland manages the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) which supports communities to engage with, participate in and benefit from the energy transition to net zero emissions. The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations reported in 2021 that the majority of Scotland’s housing associations are using sustainable construction methods and will continue to do so in the future.
Health – there has long been recognition of significant dual benefits between health and climate for communities with many papers and studies being published outlining these significant links. Some interesting examples and resources include NatureScots Green Health Projects and a briefing for local government and partners (including local organisations) from the Improvement Service, Public Health Scotland and Adaptation Scotland outlining how our changing climate can affect health and health inequalities both directly and indirectly.
Food & Agriculture – how we produce, use and consume food has close links to climate change and Nourish Scotland outline steps that can be taken to encourage a just transition to a climate and nature friendly food system. At a local level there are numerous community food projects operating with a number of national food networks developing that detail excellent examples of activities happening across Scotland. NatureScot is also facilitating a Farming with Nature project which aims to support farmers and crofters to enhance nature and tackle climate change while producing high quality food.
Planning – community planning, locally led and otherwise, gives communities the power to tackle their own, local challenges which are increasingly including climate elements, often related to climate resilience and adaptation. Communities can see where climate change is taking effect within the areas they live and are best placed to suggest (and at times drive) actions that can mitigate and adapt to such changes. Much work has already been started in relation to “place and climate” and a number of toolkits and examples have been developed to help both communities and partners think about climate integration practices including a Climate Action Towns Toolkit, the Place Standard with a Climate Lens Tool and the Climate Ready Places Resource.
Click to enlarge: A diagram showing some of the key policy drivers around climate policy.
Climate policy timeline
Climate policy has developed and evolved over a number of years,. This timeline outlines how this has happened.
The climate change (Scotland) Act 2009 set out the requirement to have both national Climate Change Plans and Climate Adaptation Programmes.
In 2019, following Scottish Government’s declaration of a climate emergency, amendments to the original legislation were introduced through the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019. These amendments included the commitment to net zero emission of all greenhouse gases in Scotland by 2045 and the introduction of Just Transition principles.
The climate change plan spans a period of 14 years (2018-2032) and was updated (and amended) in 2020 to reflect the changes in legislation. It will still run until 2032.
Rolling Climate Adaptation Programmes have been in place since 2014 – legislation requires that such programmes are prepared as soon as reasonably practicable after each round of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment which includes a national summary for Scotland.
Adaptation programmes normally span approximately 5 years and in Scotland the next adaptation plan will run from 2024-29. It is currently under development and is scheduled to be launched later this year – information on the previous plan is here and information on the recent consultation for the next iteration (SNAP3) is here.
The Climate Change Plan for Scotland contains ambitious policies and proposals - the adaptation programmes are designed to support these. The Climate Change Plan as it stands includes over 200 policies and proposals. This in itself indicates what a busy landscape climate is becoming, one that is touching every sector and individual in society.
The update to legislation in 2019 also sets out a statutory requirement (and monitoring framework) for annual monitoring against the Climate Change Plan. This monitoring includes sector by sector reports on progress and the inclusion of matters relevant to a just transition. The most recent report was 2024
Due to fluctuations in global targets a further “Climate Change Targets Bill” is scheduled to be laid before parliament before the end of 2024. This will affect the dates of the Climate Change Plan. A updated climate change plan has been out for consultation – this update will extend the current plan and roll on to cover from 2024-2040.
Click to enlarge: A diagram showing some of the key climate milestones, from 2008 up until 2024 around climate policy.