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Adaptation Scotland and Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network (ABCAN) have been collaborating on something exciting: a Gaelic version of our pioneering Community Climate Adaptation Routemap. 

The Routemap was translated by the Mòd committee and launched together with ABCAN at Mòd an Òbain, Scotland’s premiere celebration of Gaelic language, culture and heritage, this autumn.

 The digital version of the Routemap in Gaelic is available on our website here.  If you need printed copies, get in touch with Verture, or ABCAN. 

An interview with ABCAN’s lead Jamie Joyce and Ross Christie who translated the Routemap was recently shared on Verture’s website looking at discussing language, history and climate action. 

We hope this is a beginning of creating more Gaelic language resources to address the pressing climate change issues. 

Train tracks go vertically across the photo. The metal rail have wooden sleepers in between them and rocks between the sleepers.

Railway tracks

Infrastructure across Scotland operates as a connected system and not in isolation. It means impacts from extreme weather and climate-related risks can cascade from one sector or operator to another, causing significant disruption to essential services, transport, and business operations. To effectively respond to and manage these shared climate-related risks, infrastructure organisations across Scotland need to work together to share knowledge and resources.

The Adaptation Scotland programme recently worked alongside Network Rail to co-host a collaborative industry-led workshop in Edinburgh, bringing together more than 50 organisations to share experiences of impacts from climate change and extreme weather, and ideas on how organisations present could best work together to collaboratively build resilience to future risks.

The event had 4 key objectives:

Presentations from infrastructure operators – including Scottish Gas Networks, Network Rail, Scottish Water, and Scottish Power Energy Networks – set the scene for the challenges of adapting to climate change and the barriers to working together with other infrastructure operators to adapt to shared climate risks, as well as good examples of adaptation in action.

Presentations from experts including Professor Paul Davies, Principal Fellow in Weather and Climate Extremes and Impacts at the Met Office, Caitlin Douglas, Senior Analyst UK Climate Change Risk Assessment at the Climate Change Committee, and Dr Helen Adams from King’s College London, who provided an overview of the recently announced ‘Maximising UK adaptation to climate change (MACC) Hub’, where Verture will lead the Scotland ‘spoke’ alongside the University of Glasgow.

Following a series of collaborative activities, participants identified a shortlist of key activities to take forward future research and action by working together. These include:

To take this work forward, a new ‘Climate Ready Infrastructure Forum’ for Scotland has been proposed. This will be an action-oriented group, to take forward discrete, and tactical research and development initiatives, with the initial priorities being those emerging from the workshop. The Adaptation Scotland programme will continue to support this industry-led initiative and help to connect the Forum with adaptation action being led by regional adaptation initiatives.

I was really heartened to see the enthusiasm in the room during the event, and the strong desire from others to work closer together to address the shared challenges associated with our changing climate in Scotland. We’ll now turn our efforts to formalising a ‘group’ that will build on the momentum gained at this event’, and look to foster the closer collaboration that many of us know will be essential to creating infrastructure and services in Scotland that are resilient to changes in climate.

David Harkin, Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Manager, Network Rail

To find out more about the event and the Forum, please contact David Harkin ([email protected]) or Jonny Casey ([email protected]).

A bridge stretches across a river into the distance.

The Tay Bridge

The Adaptation Scotland programme is supporting the formation of a new regional adaptation partnership in Tayside to address climate risks. We are inviting local people and organisations to help shape a shared vision and priorities through sector-specific events.

The climate in Tayside is changing and the region is experiencing warmer, wetter weather, increased storms, and higher sea levels, all of which is set to continue even if we achieved net zero tomorrow. We need to adapt to these changes to allow us to become more resilient and ensure Tayside can continue to flourish.

At this early stage, we want to involve people and organisations across the region in defining a shared vision and priorities for the new partnership. Four sector specific events have been designed to provide opportunities for different groups to have a say in what the partnership could be, what it could do and how it could work, and we are inviting people who live or work in the area to join in.

Each workshop will explore how a regional partnership can advance adaptation in Tayside, using these three key questions:

Each event will run from 12:30pm – 3pm with lunch available from 12:15pm. Space is limited, so we ask you to register no more than 2 people per organisation or group. If you want more people to attend, please contact the Adaptation Scotland programme team at Verture, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Please register via Eventbrite for the event most relevant to you. Each event will be tailored to that audience. If you are unable to attend your preferred event, please contact us rather than booking onto another event.

Two women sit in a recording studio.

Naomi and Sharrell recording Campus-Cast: Showcasing Sustainability

We were delighted that Jonny Casey, Adaptation Scotland’s Programme manager at Verture, was invited to appear on Fife College’s CampusCast – Showcasing Sustainability podcast to discuss adaptation earlier this year.

The podcast series, hosted by Sharrell Carroll, a Fife College HND Media and Communications student, and Naomi Wadsworth, Fife College’s Sustainability Co-ordinator, takes an in depth look at their new Dunfermline Campus, which is a pathfinder project for the Scottish Government’s Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard. The podcast also discusses Fife College’s sustainability journey and the steps it is taking to meet the challenges posed by climate change and net zero.

Fife College is a member of Scotland’s Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network. Through this the programme has become involved in the College’s new flagship net-zero ready Dunfermline campus, advising on measures available to build resilience to climate change impacts in the estate and operations.

These range from design elements such as the type of plants used for landscaping, the type of paving used to prevent surface flooding and excess run-off to ensuring critical equipment is not located in areas which could be vulnerable to flooding. Discussions also included the buildings orientation, and how to minimise unwanted heat gain in South-facing parts of the building.

Adaption is not a requirement of the new standard, nor in other current building regulations; the College’s decision to incorporate it into its new Dunfermline Campus is very forward thinking.

The Adaptation Scotland programme Supported the College and its contractors Balfour Beatty to assess the risks posed to the campus by extreme weather events already experienced and future climate projections of hotter drier summers, warmer wetter winters, more storms, and more extreme wind. As well as the impact on the estate itself, they also considered how people move around the buildings and using space outside the building.

Jonny joined Sharell and Naomi to take an in depth look at this adaptation work and share the details of it with listeners. The guest interview first focuses on what adaptation is, and why it’s needed in Scotland. The trio then discuss adaptation being a lesser-known way of tackling climate change (compared to cutting emissions) – highlighting that even if globally, we were net zero emissions tomorrow, we would still experience the impacts of climate change for decades to come.

The discussion outlined how adaptation goes beyond changes to physical things such as buildings, instead branching out into the operation of things, planning, and behaviour change. Measures to respond to the impacts of climate change cross sectors, geographies, and people right across the country – from places of work and infrastructure responding to extreme weather events, to coastal communities facing erosion by the sea, to hits on food production as variable weather takes its toll on agriculture.

They also looked at what adaptation measures are being done in Scotland and the Scottish Government’s third National Adaptation Plan being drawn up this year, and consulted on during the time of recording. Throughout, Jonny stressed the long-term planning aspect to adaptation and that it requires behavioural change, with awareness being key to ensuring that proactive measures are taken rather than reactive changes being needed in future.

Reflecting on Adaptation Scotland’s work with Fife College, Jonny Casey, Adaptation Scotland’s Programme manager at Verture said:

“Fife College are pioneering new approaches to sustainability and thinking innovatively about how to operate in a changing climate. The CampusCast podcast series showcases some of the fantastic work they are doing, and how they are using Adaptation Scotland resources to drive organisation-wide action to respond to climate change impacts and inspire both their students, and other colleges too.”

Sharrell Carroll, HND Media & Communications Student, Fife College:

“In a recent episode of our CampusCast podcast, Jonny Casey delivered a powerful message on the critical need for climate adaptation. This episode sparked a significant response, with many people expressing a newfound awareness and a commitment to incorporating adaptation strategies into their lives. This conversation has opened the door to more in-depth discussions about how we can all contribute to building a future that is both sustainable and resilient. Adaptation isn’t just a backup plan; it’s a necessary strategy for survival.”

Naomi Wadsworth, Sustainability Co-ordinator, Fife College:

“Jonny was a fantastic guest speaker on CampusCast– climate adaptation is a vital part of the puzzle to tackle climate change and we’re excited to both promote climate adaptation and what we’re doing at Fife College to improve our resilience to climate change. It is my hope that future projects which adopt the Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard will rise to the challenge of including adaptation in the project – something that Fife College has trailblazed with the help of Adaptation Scotland”.

We’re also delighted to be able to share that Sharrell won two awards at the 2024 FCSA and Fife College Awards – Winner for the FCSA Climate Impact Award and one of the winners in the FCSA Outstanding Performance category.

Listen to the podcast
A image of a blue tit on a brach overlaid with text reading: Community Climate Adaptation Routemap Underneath the text are logos for: Adaptation Scotland Sniffer Scottish Government

The Routemap cover page

The Adaptation Scotland programme is encouraging local communities to take practical actions to adapt to the impacts of climate change and help build more thriving communities.

The new routemap resource offers a highly practical and accessible guide on the topic, aimed at allowing local groups such as community gardeners, residents groups and community councils to act now to protect their environments in the future.

The Routemap has been produced in collaboration with Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, the Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS), North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN Hub), and the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network (SCCAN) alongside contributions from ReadyScot, Sustrans, Architecture & Design Scotland and others.

This interactive resource serves as an easy-to-follow guide to cover everything from regenerating nature to greener household actions such as reducing dampness and overheating. It also covers self-sufficiency in local communities, transport options to reduce emissions and how to check areas have sufficient insurance against climate risks.

The Community Climate Adaptation Routemap’ features 50+ hyperlinks which signpost users to dozens of other websites and resources by top climate science specialists, organisations and experts from across Scotland and beyond.

Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson said:

“Our climate is already changing and adapting to ‘locked-in’ climate change impacts is crucial for creating a fairer and greener nation. This Routemap will be a source of inspiration and practical support for communities and local organisations across Scotland, helping them tailor climate resilience initiatives to their needs.

“These tools are crucial in helping us all play our part in securing a net zero future that is fair and just for everyone.”

Iryna Zamuruieva, Climate Resilience Manager at Verture, added:

“One of the challenges with working on climate change adaptation is a perception that adaptation is an ‘add-on’ to existing work. That’s why we spent a lot of time with our project partners working out how to link climate adaptation with some of the most pressing issues we face, such as environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, and health and housing quality. This Routemap is designed to link these together with practical climate adaptation actions which start from a place of understanding the causes of the problem.

“As a fully interactive resource, this new tool can be used in multiple ways. It allows people to start with what can just be an idea, then develop it into a workable, effective project that will make a genuine difference to people and environments in Scotland, and help them join the concerted effort to adapt our country to a changing climate.”

Harper Loonsk, Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator of Highland Adapts at Verture said:

“The Community Climate Adaptation Routemap is an invaluable tool. It fills a resource gap for practical, easily digestible actions which communities can use to build resilience and adapt while also addressing social issues. It commendably also addresses the fundamental root causes of climate change (colonialism and development) in a way that sets the stage for meaningful, justice-oriented action in the future.

“It’s both dynamic and visually engaging, and approaches knowledge sharing in a new way. Highland Adapts is eager to share this resource with our partners, who we hope will look to it for inspiration and direction on community climate action.”

The community Routemap is split into three distinctive project stages to launch then drive climate resilience in local areas: ‘getting started’, ‘understanding climate change in your community’, and ‘taking action’.

“This Routemap will be a source of inspiration and practical support for communities and local organisations across Scotland, helping them tailor climate resilience initiatives to their needs.”

Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson
View the routemap