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Understanding the Challenge

Adaptation is our adjustment to climate change, by understanding the challenge we can make informed decisions based on actual or expected change. By developing this capability you will gather evidence on climate risks and vulnerabilities, then integrate these into internal systems and procedures.

Arrow summary of tasks within the Understanding the Challenge capability

Construction site of new Dunfermline learning campus

Business resilience themes: Processes, Products and Services

Climate ready construction

On their work to construct a new, flagship building at Dunfermline Learning Campus for Fife College, Balfour Beatty and the design team, including Reiach and Hall Architects, Woolgar Hunter, and Atelier Ten, worked with the Adaptation Scotland programme to consider the current and potential future climate hazards facing the campus and its users, and how to deliver a campus that will be more resilient to the long-term impacts of climate change.

The College campus spans over 20,000m², and is an innovative venture from Fife College, it is part of a state of the art, sustainable shared learning campus for Dunfermline (Dunfermline College Campus, St Columba’s RC High School, and Woodmill High School).

Balfour Beatty logo
Fife College logo

Dunfermline Learning Campus is also the largest pathfinder project for the Scottish Government’s Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard in Scotland, which has established to drive net zero outcomes for new buildings and major refurbishments within the public sector. Fife College is the first project to explicitly include adaptation planning as part of the Standard in its design and delivery.

Resilience to climate change was identified as an important but equally new, and complex consideration for Fife College and Balfour Beatty, given the campus would need to withstand the increasing frequency and intensity of climate hazards such as heat, increased rainfall and windstorms over its long lifetime.

“It was great to have the support of the Adaptation Scotland programme to run these workshops for the first time. Although an important topic, this is something relatively new for us to consider however the tools available on the Adaptation Scotland website and really useful. We look forward to working with Sniffer to make sure these tools are more widely known and used within the construction industry and with our designers.”

Angela Pllu, Environmental Sustainability Manager, Balfour Beatty

Climate risk assessment and adaptation planning

To best consider climate adaptation, Fife College and Balfour Beatty worked with the Adaptation Scotland programme, using the A Changing Climate for Development tool kit to assess the climate resilience of the new campus, and explored the climate-driven hazards during the construction phase, using the Adaptation Scotland programme’s Climate Hazards in the Workplace tool kit.

The workshop explored the recent and projected changes to the climate in the Fife area, and how these climate-driven hazards would likely impact the structure and use of the new campus. The Adaptation Scotland programme team also supported participants to jointly identify potential adaptation actions, illustrated by case studies, and to prioritise those that could be implemented at this stage of construction.

From this work Balfour Beatty and its partners were able to identify actions to improve resilience including:

People sat in a semi-circle with notes while a presenter stands by a screen

Image from the workshop

Assessing climate risks and potential adaptation options is best done at an early stage of project development. The Adaptation Scotland programme team supported Balfour Beatty and partners to identify opportunities in the project development process to undertake a similar assessment in future work to ensure climate risks and adaptation options are identified earlier.

With the advice and support of the Adaptation Scotland programme, Balfour Beatty, its partners and Fife College have been able to identify and implement practical measures that will be critical to ensuring a safe learning environment at the new Dunfermline Campus as the climate evolves.

Lessons from this projected have provided the basis for Balfour Beatty and Fife College to integrate considerations of key climate risks across future infrastructure and construction projects, including a planned College-wide climate risk assessment of the whole Fife College estate, and at least two further climate risk and adaptation workshops for existing projects being delivered by Balfour Beatty.

“Fife College is taking action on the climate emergency, and we have ambitions to do more and more. Our new Dunfermline campus is a low carbon beacon project and part of the Net Zero Public Sector Building Standard. We want to provide inspirational learning spaces for our future students, and we know we have to adapt and be resilient to the effects of climate change.”

Jim Metcalfe, Fife College Principal

Stewart Miller is the Sustainable Environment Officer (Estates & Buildings) at the University of Glasgow. He explains below how a new Climate Change Adaptation Plan is embedding climate ready thinking into the way the University manages its estate.

Planning development in the context of a changing climate

Along with managing and maintaining our historic buildings, the University is redeveloping our Gilmorehill campus, and developing a new campus at the Western Infirmary site. Planning for climate change adaptation will help to ensure that these new developments, along with existing buildings, campuses and infrastructure, are resilient to shifting weather patterns and remain safe and comfortable spaces for students and staff.

Planning for adaptation action

In late 2018 we released our first Adaptation Plan, which outlines a vision for a resilient and adapting University. This vision is supported by a clear and actionable framework that provides a roadmap for implementing short, medium and long term actions to increase the University’s resilience to climate change.

The Adaptation Plan was developed by working closely with staff working across different departments. We spent time working with diverse internal stakeholders, ensuring that key performance indicators were assigned to the right person and that people understood why adaptation is important and their role in implementing the plan.

long with sustainability officers, managers, directors and heads of services are identified as owners of short, medium and long term goals. This ensures that the push to adapt to climate change comes from the top, and our senior management team have clear goals and obligations. Creating this buy-in at the senior level is helping to embed adaptation into the way the University operates.

The Adaptation Plan works to embed climate into the University’s risk registers, and creates processes to manage and respond to risks. The plan identifies ‘what does good look like’ for short, medium and long term objectives, assigns responsibility and contains internal progress reporting requirements. Responsibility is spread across the University, and adaptation objectives overlap with design standards, health and safety, energy and waste, travel, human resources and asset management.

To make sure the Adaptation Plan is effective in achieving our objectives, we’ve created an extensive review process that will help us understand our strengths and weaknesses as we implement the plan. This includes a review by our organisation-wide Sustainability Working Group, as well as a six monthly review to assess progress on adaptation across the University.

We’re taking action to become climate ready across our organisation to ensure that the University remains a thriving educational and cultural hub for our 26,000 students and 8,000 staff

Stewart Miller
Front cover of the Adaptation Capability Framework, with illustrations of a rural town

Webinar exploring how the University of Glasgow are using the Adaptation Capability Framework

Marie Porteous is Head of Sustainability & Environment Manager at NHS Lanarkshire. Marie explains how site based risk assessments are helping to inform climate ready decision making to ensure that patients and staff across Lanarkshire are safe and well cared for during extreme weather events.

Responding to climate risks

After severe winter weather a few years ago disrupted our ability to get staff and supplies safely to all of our sites, we realised we needed to better understand our vulnerability to climate impacts. Along with other Scottish Territorial & Special Boards, we started undertaking site based risk assessments through external risk management consultants. Once we understood the process, we began undertaking them internally. We now have risk assessments for our major sites, and are progressing through our community sites.

These site based risk assessments have allowed us to build a database of climate impacts, recording the frequency of events and, where possible, the costs that NHS Lanarkshire incurs as a result. We can draw on this information to understand our vulnerabilities to future climate change, and inform climate ready decisions and action. Data around the financial impact of climate change allows us to justify investment in action now.

Links to net zero action

At some of our sites that are at high risk of disruption from extreme winter weather, we have invested in adding electric/petrol hybrid four wheel drive vehicles to our fleet. These vehicles will ensure our sites can receive deliveries and have specimens etc. uplifted while at the same time reducing our carbon footprint. We are also investing in our staff, providing emergency planning and response training to help ensure that we are prepared for extreme weather.

Place-based and site specific action

We operate diverse sites, and each has its own operational and geographical challenges. Rather than focus on an organisation-wide risk assessment, we are considering the unique operational requirements of each site. This allows us to work with the relevant local authority, as our estate operates across both North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils. We are working with both local authorities to build our understanding of climate impacts across Lanarkshire as whole, and in the meantime we are continuing with our site based risk assessments.

Our site risk assessments have identified climate risks that are now incorporated into our Corporate Risk Register. This register is reported on and reviewed regularly by our Sustainability Advisory Group. This regular reporting means that climate change is now firmly on the agenda for our senior management team, and has allowed us begin mainstreaming climate risk into our organisational practices.

Our database of climate impacts and costs allows us to make informed, climate ready decisions and take action now

Marie Porteous

The Adaptation Capability Framework was awarded the IEMA Sustainability Impact Climate Resilience and Adaptation Award in September 2020. We created the film below to celebrate this award and share experience from colleagues at Forestry and Land Scotland, Transport Scotland and Aberdeen City Council who are all using the Framework in practice.

The Adaptation Capability Framework from SNIFFER is excellent in helping to drive action to enhance climate resilience across the public sector. The judges highlighted the collaborative and partnership approach used to develop the framework and the recognition that organisations are at different stages of the adaptation journey

IEMA Judges
Front cover of the Adaptation Capability Framework, with illustrations of a rural town

Celebrating the Adaptation Capability Framework – Insights From Practice

Victoria Barby is the Environment Performance Manager with the Scottish Parliament. Below Victoria explains how a business continuity approach to adaptation is being used to ensure that the Scottish Parliament is a safe and functional space for lawmaking, even during extreme weather.

One of our major challenges is how to keep Parliament safe and functional, and adaptation will increasingly be a factor in planning for this. A Climate Impact Assessment Workshop in 2016 found that the Parliament building is already quite resilient to climate impacts. However, the logistics of getting staff and Members to the building, as well as ensuring that local offices are climate resilient, is a challenge.

A recommendation from the Impact Assessment Workshop was to track climate related disruption at the Scottish Parliament. This, along with progress on climate change adaptation is now reported at the Environment Strategy Board meetings. Regular reporting helps build a case for investing in adaptation that aligns with wider priorities, and helps us develop long term adaptation actions.

During the 2018 summer heatwave, the Parliament building was at risk of overheating. As a result, I am now working with the Business Continuity Team to develop a long term, strategic approach to climate adaptation, informed by the climate impacts already captured in our reporting processes. To fully consider how future climate change may threaten business continuity at Scottish Parliament, we are planning to undertake a risk assessment. This will be used to develop an Adaptation Plan and supporting processes that will ensure the Parliament is climate ready, and able to continue operating safely throughout extreme weather events.

We are considering a range of actions, including options like remote working and using technology to support flexible workplace practices to maintain functionality of Parliament throughout extreme weather events. While some core staff are needed on the premises of Parliament to ensure the safe and effective running of the building, flexible working options can reduce the strain on Edinburgh’s public transport system during extreme weather events, ensuring that core facilities staff are able to travel to work.

Taking a business continuity approach to planning adaptation actions is helping us to think practically about how climate change may impact our ability to function, and develop short and long term adaptation actions that will ensure the Scottish Parliament is able to operate during extreme weather events.

Victoria Barby

This case study provides an overview of Forestry and Land Scotland’s adaptation story so far and includes by in-depth insights on the experience of using the Adaptation Capability Framework, focused on the Organisational Culture and Resources capability.

About Forestry and Land Scotland

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is the Scottish Government agency that looks after Scotland’s national forests and land. It does this in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry, conserves and enhances the environment and delivers benefits for people and nature. FLS was established as a successor to the Forestry Commission in Scotland, as an executive agency of the Scottish Government in 2019. It is a ‘public corporation’ involved in commercial trading activity, with all incomes reinvested into the management of national forests and land. More detail, including on their approach to climate change adaptation, can be found in their corporate plan.

Adapting to climate change at FLS

Adaptation is not new to FLS. It has been doing it for decades – both in its previous guise as FES and, since 2019 when FLS was established. That year also saw Scotland declare a Climate Emergency and this, together with new policies including Scotland’s Forestry Strategy and Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme culminated in FLS taking a strategic approach to adaptation and ensuring that the concept was integrated throughout the organisation and it’s forestry operations. FLS is committed to playing its role in climate adaptation and has been actively using Adaptation Scotland’s Adaptation Capability Framework since 2019.

Like making sure you pick up the right planting spade when you plant a tree –the Adaptation Capability Framework has been the right tool at the right time for FLS

Like making sure you pick up the right planting spade when you plant a tree –the Adaptation Capability Framework has been the right tool at the right time for FLS

Alan Gale, Adaptation and Resilience Programme Manager

Benchmarking

Before using the Framework to progress tasks in practice, FLS’s Land Management team first undertook a Benchmarking Workshop – using the Adaptation Scotland Benchmarking Tool – to identify and understand its organisational position within the Adaptation Capability Framework. Benchmarking helps provide a baseline assessment of an organisation’s adaptation capabilities and highlights those areas the organisation is excelling in and others where more work may be needed.

The benchmarking workshop identified which capability tasks were already underway and which ones needed to be acted upon. Mapping the corporate plan against the Framework identified which actions were relevant to FLS, illustrated how adaptation could support achieving corporate plan objectives and teased out what adaptation actions were still required.

Running a workshop with representatives from different departments at the beginning of the process helped achieve understanding, buy in and support from across the organisation in using the Framework. Being honest about assessing progress is important to understand where the organisation currently is and where it wants to go. FLS used the Benchmarking assessment as a way to motivate further use of the Adaptation Capability Framework and taking adaptation action.

Organisational Culture and Resources

The organisation subsequently endorsed the use of Framework in January 2020 and adaptation is now a corporate programme and responsibility with senior management support. The Executive Team have taken ownership of adaptation and identified topic experts/change agents across departments, ensuring a holistic and joined up approach. Forestry and Land Scotland has greatly developed the Organisational Culture & Resources capability – and this has been integral to their adaptation progress.

The experience of FLS demonstrates the huge role of organisational culture – and the importance of senior managers and adaptation champions supporting climate adaptation. Forestry Land Scotland’s launch, as a successor to FES, has enabled them to start to develop a new culture and provided a rich opportunity to engage on adaptation. The new Executive Team was willing to try new approaches and was cognisant of the importance of climate change adaptation and the vital role Scotland’s forests have in addressing climate change. Management buy-in to adaptation was secured by working closely with a number of supportive Executive Team members and helping them to influence other board members.

Identifying and securing resources for adaptation

FLS recognises that adaptation is an important part of its role as custodians of Scotland’s national forests and land and is conscious that the trees it plants today need to be suitable for the climate of 2050 and beyond. It also recognises that in the future, looking after our forests may cost more – for example, having to construct larger culverts, greater species variation when planting, adapting species choice to fit the changing climate or having to erect more fencing to prevent saplings suffering from browsing damage. However, quicker tree growth and higher yields resulting from a warmer environment will see an increase in income that will help to fund adaptation.

The adaptation team is currently exploring what is needed in order to become resilient to climate change and associated impacts (such as increase in pests and diseases), an exercise that will inform budget requirements. It is recognised that future costs can be minimised with good adaptation planning now, including exploring how changes can be taken advantage of. By integrating adaptation responsibilities across the organisation, more suitable guidance can be devised and appropriate budgeting ensured. 

This work, guided by a risk register approach, also benefits from the organisation’s longer-term view, illustrated by its review of all land management plans on a decadal cycle. Climate change considerations are integrated into decision-making processes across the organisation so that FLS can make the best decisions for our forests both now and in the future.

Governance arrangement for adaptation

FLS has built different mechanisms at various levels of the organisation from identifying individual ‘change agents’ in key business areas, to steering groups to guide adaptation action; to leadership from the Executive Team. The Executive Team have oversight of all adaptation activities and this mandate across the organisation adds value and impetus to the work across all levels. By working together towards strategic adaptation objectives FLS has achieved a step change towards becoming a well adapting and mature public body.

Identifying and working with topic experts and change agents – and having senior level champions on the Executive Team and Finance Board – has been crucial for FLS. Adaptation is recognised as being an iterative process and that embedding adaptation within the organisation will be a gradual process. This will be achieved both through the forest plan review process, and the establishment of an adaptation strategy/plan (centred on four adaptation outcomes) that will place climate change adaptation at the heart of all internal guidance, policy and practice.

Lessons learned

Avoiding adaptation is not an option for the public sector – climate impacts are already being experienced and public bodies, as providers of a range of local services, play an important role in adapting to a changing climate. Organisations do have a choice in which resources they use to support adaptation planning. The Framework provides a structured way to progress adaptation and acts as a mechanism to ‘hang your work on’, be that pre-existing or planned adaptation activities.

Take time to understand the Framework and the available resources before getting stuck in. Whilst it can look daunting at first, there are a lot of resources to help you understand and use the Framework like the Handbook and the Starter Pack – working through those first will give organisations a solid foundation to build further adaptation work on.

Get as many people as possible involved at the start. Running a workshop with representatives from different departments at the beginning of the process helped achieve understanding, buy in and support from across the organisation in using the Framework.

Figure out what is right for your organisation. The Framework is comprised of 50 tasks – it is important to realise you do not have to hit every single one of them straight away. Take time to consider what your organisation has already done on adaptation (and celebrate that), understand your organisational objectives and adaptation aims and figure out which capability tasks support you to get there. Undertaking a Benchmarking workshop helps identify what is relevant for your organisation and helps track progress over time.

Let colleagues know what you are doing – provide regular updates and share copies of the Handbook, Benchmarking assessment or your organisation’s completed Starter Pack to others to keep them up to speed and provide opportunity to get involved. Be honest in benchmarking. It’s OK to find out that your organisation hasn’t already made much progress – the important thing is to ensure that you’re heading in the right direction from where you are now.

Work with senior managers to demonstrate the benefits of adaptation and the advantage of using the Adaptation Capability Framework and make sure they are well briefed and fully equipped with understanding of the process before sharing with other board members.

llustration of a city with the logos of Unison and Adaptation Scotland

Webinars and resources introducting the Climate Hazards and Resilience in the Workplace tools and guidance

All workers whether they work indoors, outdoors, offshore, or travel for a living could be increasingly vulnerable to disruption, damage, and potential injury from climate change impacts such as windstorms, flooding, and heatwaves.

The Adaptation Scotland programme and the Scottish Trade Union movement (Unison and STUC) worked together to create resources to help identify the hazards that climate change could bring to a range of different workplaces and to develop adaptation solutions.

The resources are designed to be used by any organisation, not just by trade union representatives. The resources address the human consequences of a changing climate and help workers have a central voice in building resilience to climate risks and championing climate change adaptation solutions which also tackle inequality and social justice as part of a Just Transition in Scotland.

These tools combine the latest climate change science and the lived experience of trade union representatives from across Scotland, which suggests that climate change impacts, without adaptation, threaten health and safety. Conversely, well planned adaptation action can transform our poorest communities and present opportunities for Scotland’s workers and industries.

The resource include:

Downloads:

DOWNLOAD HANDBOOK DOWNLOAD WORKBOOK DOWNLOAD CHECKLISTS

Webinars

Introducing the tools and guidance

Making the case for climate adaptation and risk screening

Webinar exploring workplace climate hazards and adaptation responses and developing the resources

Webinars introducting the Adaptation Capability Framework and Benchmarking Tool

The Adaptation Scotland programme’s Adaptation Capability Framework and associated Benchmarking Tool are used by public sector organisations in Scotland to develop their understanding and skills on climate risk and adaptation. These webinars provide an introduction to the two tools, and examples of how organisations in Scotland are using them to support collaborative and effective action on climate change adaptation.

Front cover of the Adaptation Capability Framework, with illustrations of a rural town

Introducing the Adaptation Capability Framework

Introducing the Benchmarking Tool

Webinar describing and providing case study examples relating to the Working Together capability of the Adaptation Capability Framework.

No organisation can adapt alone, by working together we can do more to achieve shared adaptation outcomes. That is why Working Together is one of the four capabilities comprising the Adaptation Capability Framework, the Adaptation Scotland programme’s guidance to support public bodies to adapt to climate change. By developing this capability you will forge connections with key partners to share ideas and find opportunities to collaborate.

During this webinar Elizabeth Vander Meer from the University of Edinburgh and Tara Murray from Aberdeenshire Council are giving their first hand accounts of how they are approaching the ‘Working together’ capability from our Adaptation Capability Framework to make their respective organisations more resilient to a changing climate..

Webinar describing and providing case study examples relating to the Working Together capability of the Adaptation Capability Framework.