Strategic Environmental Assessment of Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework Strategic Environmental Assessment of Scotland’s.

Strategic Environmental Assessment of Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Frameworkwww.landuse.co.uk

Strategic Environmental Assessment of

Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework

Nick James

Land Use Consultants

8 October 2009


Overview

• Climate change in Scotland• Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework• SEA challenges• SEA approach• Findings and recommendations• Next steps

Overview


Overview

• Context• Climate change in Scotland• Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework• SEA challenges• SEA approach• Findings and recommendations• Reflections and conclusions


Context


Context

• Very recent SEA – Scottish Government yet to respond formally to the Environmental Report

• SEA was carried out for the draft SCCAF which was issued for public consultation – finalised document will reflect this and the SEA


Climate change in Scotland


The changing climate

• Wetter milder winters, drier, warmer summers, rising sea levels

• Flood risk – fluvial, pluvial, estuarine and coastal• Land instability• Implications for settlement and infrastructure –

particularly in coastal areas and key river catchments• Comparative advantage for agriculture – intensification,

expansion• Recreation and tourism – increased seasonality• Impacts on natural and semi-natural habitats


The changing climate

Adaptive responses to these impacts• Planned – e.g. flood defences, managed realignment,

rewilding of river catchments• Unplanned – e.g. changes in recreational activity• Semi-planned – e.g. changes in agricultural production

• SCCAF designed to increase adaptation through understanding, anticipation, planning and co-ordination






Three themes

Twelve headline actions

Thirty six detailed actions



Exposure

Understanding and limiting exposure to climate change:• Supporting development of climate models• Detailed assessments of risks and opportunities• Cost the risks and opportunities• Work with Scottish sectors to cost risks • Support the coordination of climate change research• Investigate the benefits of central evidence base


Adaptive capacity

Equip Scotland’s decision-makers with skills and tools to adapt:

• Raise awareness of unavoidable impacts of a changing climate

• Provide decision makers with tools and training


Sensitivity

Integrate climate change adaptation in public policy and regulation

• Integrate climate change adaptation in Scottish Government corporate planning

• Integrate climate change adaptation in Scottish Government social policy

• Integrate climate change adaptation in Scottish Government economic policy

• Integrate climate change adaptation in Scottish Government environmental policy


SEA challenges and approach


Challenges

• High level framework• Process based• Implemented via other strategies, programmes or

organisations• Inter-relationship with the environmental baseline and

definition of environmental problems• Reasonable alternatives


Challenges

Environmental baseline – a critical and dynamic element

• Influenced by climate change• Influenced by other forces for change• The scale and nature of climate related change will

reflect the influence of existing adaptation (and mitigation) policies, strategies and actions


Challenges

The challenges were recognised by Scottish Government SCCAF team at an early stage

Discussions with Consultation Authorities (SEPA, SNH and HS) identified an alternative approach, reflecting the impacts of climate change on the environmental baseline and the potential of SCCAF to make a positive effect

An early task for the LUC team was to make this alternative approach work…


Challenges

So, slightly different emphasis within the SEA process…

Rather than concentrating on the question ‘what impact will the PPS have on the environmental baseline?’ we placed equal weight on the questions:

Focusing principally, but not exclusively on the influence of climate change, how will the environmental baseline change in the absence of SCCAF (the do nothing option) and what are the implications of this?

To what extent will SCCAF help avoid or reduce the impacts of these changes?

Is SCCAF likely to result in any additional environmental impacts?


Challenges

Environmental baseline

Existing adaptive policy and activity

Existing mitigation policy and activity

SCCAF

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Challenges

Environmental baseline

Existing adaptive policy and activity

Existing mitigation policy and activity

SCCAF

Clim

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Challenges

Analysis of the environmental baseline:

• SEA topic areas• Identification of potential impacts of climate change• Identification of competing pressures• Analysis of exposure to the effects of climate change• Analysis of current adaptive capacity and policy framework• Analysis of net effects of climate change on the topic area in

question• Assessment of vulnerability

This helped identify key areas of impact where SCCAF could (should) be making the greatest difference.

The SEA could then focus on the extent to which SCCAF will help reduce environmental effects of climate change, as well as identifying any potential environmental impacts.


Challenges


Challenges


Challenges

Assessment of the effects of SCCAF

Vulnerability to climate change

Net effects of climate change

SEA objective

SEA topic area


Challenges

Score

Timeframe

Duration

Scope for alleviation (mitigation) or enhancement


Findings and recommendations


Findings and recommendations

• The strategic nature of the Framework means that was not possible to draw robust conclusions on its environmental effects.

• Many impacts will be indirect and will result from the implementation of subsequent actions.

• The Framework will have an overall positive effect across most SEA topic areas.

• A key recommendation was that the framework should ensure that implementation of actions under one topic area do not result in environmental impacts under another.


Biodiversity, flora and fauna

• The Framework could have a positive effect on biodiversity by increasing knowledge and reducing uncertainty of the impacts of climate change.

• The adaptation actions proposed to reduce competing pressures may result in some mixed effects. There is a risk that adaptation in other policy sectors will result in adverse impacts on biodiversity.

• The Framework should encourage an improved knowledge and evidence base to inform adaptation policy priorities for the biodiversity sector.

• Actions to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change should highlight impacts on biodiversity, flora and fauna.

• The Framework should ensure that representatives from the natural heritage sector are included in actions to equip decision makers with the skills and tools to adapt to climate change.


Population and human health

• The Framework will have a positive effect on population and human health.

• Greater research and data sharing will improve understanding of the differing impacts of climate change on different sectors of society, facilitating the targeting of adaptation measures to those communities with greatest vulnerability.

• Greater adaptation, in combination with improved research, understanding and awareness will have a positive cumulative effect by ensuring the targeting of adaptation responses.

• The Framework should encourage integration within Scottish Government social policy

• The Framework should ensure focus on those groups most at risk from climate change


Water

• The Framework will have an overall positive effect on the water environment.

• Equipping decision makers with the skills and tools to adapt will improve the quality of adaptation responses.

• Improved integration of adaptation activities across all sectors is likely to enhance the water environment.

• The Framework should do more to ensure consideration of opportunities to increase understanding of the competing demands on the water environment and how this can be incorporated through adaptation responses.

• The Framework should support research into climate change impacts in all SEA topic areas including water, and raise awareness of climate change impacts on the water environment.

• Adaptation measures need to address the climate change impacts on the water environment (water quality and pollution).

• The Framework should also support the development of procedure and guidance to avoid conflict between adaptation measures for different topic areas.


Soil

• The Framework will have a positive effect on soil as a result of research and data sharing, increased knowledge and awareness and greater integration of adaptation measures across all policy sectors

• The Framework should ensure that there is support for research into climate change impacts on soil, and raise awareness about the impacts of climate change on soil.

• Adaptation measures, including those resulting from building adaptive capacity, need to address impacts on soil.

• The Framework should also support the development of procedure and guidance to avoid conflict between adaptation measures for different topic areas.


Air

• The Framework is likely to have a minor positive effect on air quality and climate. This is a result of indirect effects of greater knowledge and awareness of the impacts of climate change, and adaptation measures across other sectors.

• These will contribute to improvements in air quality and measures to address climate change, including enhancing green networks and increased woodland planting.


Material assets

• The Framework could result in both positive and negative impacts on material assets.

• The Framework should support the identification of the costs and risks of climate change associated with material assets such as waste, energy, agriculture, transport.

• Again, there is a need for the Framework to help reconcile conflicts between adaptation measures and competition for resources across different topic areas.

• Actions to raise awareness of climate change impacts should highlight the impacts of climate change on material assets


Cultural heritage

• The Framework is likely to have mixed implications for cultural heritage. This will result from adaptation actions to protect cultural heritage on the one hand, but also the negative impacts of adaptation actions in other sectors.

• Better knowledge and awareness should result in more informed and proactive responses to adaptation.

• There is a lack of explicit reference to cultural heritage in relation to research and data sharing.

• The Framework should support research into climate change impacts on all SEA topic areas including cultural heritage.

• The Framework should also support the development of procedure and guidance to help reconcile impacts which could result from different kinds of adaptation measures.

• Action to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change should highlight the potential implications for cultural heritage.

• Adaptation actions should consider the impacts on cultural heritage and provide protection for the historic environment from other adaptation measures.


Landscape

• The Framework is likely to have a minor negative impact on the objective of protecting the landscape.

• The Framework supports adaptation that will result in adaptation actions which may have landscape implications, such as coastal flood defences.

• Landscape is not recognised explicitly under any of the three objectives, and any increase in climate change adaptation may increase the risk of uncoordinated adaptation activity occurring, resulting in landscape impacts.

• The Framework should support research into climate change impacts on all SEA topic areas including landscape.

• The Framework should also support the development of procedure and guidance to help reconcile impacts which could result from different kinds of adaptation measure, and raise awareness of the cumulative impacts of adaptation on the landscape.


Reflections and conclusions


Reflections and conclusions

• The Scottish Government SCCAF team and their approach to SEA were pivotal in shaping how the process has panned out

• The team identified early on that carrying out the SEA would be a challenge due to the nature of the document

• SG chose to engage with the Consultation Authorities at an early stage to identify the best way to address this challenge.

• The SG has taken a very proactive approach to the SEA and taken it seriously as part of the drafting process, and not as an add on.


Land Use Consultants

• Environmental Planning• Landscape Design• Ecology• Landscape Planning and Management• Urban Design and Regeneration• Digital Design• Environmental Impact Assessment• Strategic Environmental Assessment

Strategic Environmental Assessment of Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework Strategic Environmental Assessment of Scotland’s.

Documents

overview climate change

sea slide

development of climate

environmental report

context slide

scotland slide

coordination slide

steps overview slide