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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

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.

John Burnside is the Environment & Sustainability Manager with NHS Highland. He sets out below how NHS Highland have piloted a climate change risk assessment toolkit across their operations and estate.

NHS Highland has responsibility for over 230 buildings spread across an area equivalent to the size of Belgium. Many of the communities that we service are remote and rural, which creates particular challenges when thinking about climate risk. To ensure that we are able to provide high quality health services to the diverse communities in the Highlands, we are piloting a climate change risk assessment toolkit. The initial approach to assessing climate risks was developed in collaboration with NHS National Services Scotland as part of a cross sector Risk Assessment Working Group, which brought together Scottish Water, Aberdeen City Council and Historic Environment Scotland and was facilitated by Adaptation Scotland. An internal NHS working group was then established to oversee the development of the risk assessment tool, ensuring that it is user friendly for Health Boards.

At NHS Highland, we were the first Board to use the risk assessment tool to undertake a comprehensive regional assessment of current and future climate risk to health care facilities. SEPA data on flood risk and a high level Climate Change Impact Assessment for NHS Highland were used to inform the process. We also undertook internal workshops to understand how past extreme weather impacted on the delivery of healthcare services across our Estate. Over the past year, the risk assessment toolkit has been tested and reviewed by our estate managers. Their practical insights and feedback have helped us to develop an easy to use resource that can be applied to our main regional hospitals and smaller community health centres. We have also spent time building internal capacity around climate change risk and adaptation.

Our estate is managed to a 12 month maintenance cycle, and staff are used to thinking about their roles their workplaces within this 12 month context. This can make it difficult to think about long term challenges of climate change in their day to day jobs. As we roll out the climate change risk assessment toolkit, we’ll be working with staff on site to ensure that climate risk and adaptation are well understood, and adaptation is integrated into the way we manage our health care facilities.

Once we have collected information on the climate risks relating to the estate, these will be incorporated into site-based risk registers, which will feed into our corporate risk register and strategic risk register.

Building a strong evidence base for climate risk and embedding it into our risk registers will give us a clear understanding of the long term challenges and opportunities of maintaining healthcare facilities across our estate.

Falkirk wheel

Scottish Canals are responsible for managing over 4100 assets that comprise our five Scottish canals, as well as the bridges, buildings, locks, water supply reservoirs and landmarks like the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies that make up Scotland’s inland waterways network. Much of this 140-mile network is inland, with only 6 coastal connections that are vulnerable to rising sea levels. The rest of the network is reasonably resilient to climate impacts in the short term, and can even contribute to resilience more broadly through initiatives such as the Glasgow Smart Canal Project. The Smart Canal is helping to manage flood risk and move water resources during projected hotter and drier summers.

Each one of its diverse assets has unique management and maintenance challenges which must be addressed to ensure that they remain safe and available for the millions of visitors who use the network each year. In the long term climate change will alter the way the assets deteriorate, and Scottish Canals’ Asset Management Strategy ensures that when making management decisions, climate impacts are taken into consideration, such as potential changes in rainfall, temperature and extreme weather that will contribute to the deterioration of assets.

To respond to uncertainty around how climate change will interact with its assets in the long term, Scottish Canals have developed a flexible planning approach to manage its assets in a way that is responsive to emerging risks. The Asset Management Strategy outlines how they will manage their priorities until 2030 to ensure the safety and long term sustainability of their assets. This long-term strategic direction is delivered through a 3 year forward looking Asset Management Plan that is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. This flexible management cycle allows Scottish Canals to take new and emerging risks into account, including those related to climate change.

Our flexible, risk-based approach to asset management is agile and responsive to direct and indirect climate impacts, allowing us to prioritise and plan a work programme that keeps Scotland’s canals safe and productive

Peter Robinson
Falkirk wheel

Video of Scottish Canals case study

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Public Sector Leadership

The public sector is subject to legislative duties that require action to adapt and report progress. It also has a unique leadership role in driving action and influencing change across society.
  • Our tools and resources are based on a strong understanding of public sector needs. The resources below have been developed in collaboration with professionals who are leading adaptation action across Scotland’s local authorities, health boards, universities and government agencies.
  • We are pleased to support an active network of adaptation practitioners across the public sector, through Scotland’s Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network (PSCAN).

Adaptation Capability Framework

The Climate Adaptation Capability Framework identifies four capabilities that every public sector organisation will need to adapt to climate change, providing step by step tasks to guide your adaptation journey.
Adaptation Capability Framework

Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network

The public sector has a crucial role to play in enabling Scotland to adapt to climate change. The Network is now comprised of over 60 public bodies who work together to benchmark their progress and identify and share learning on climate change adaptation.
PUBLIC SECTOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION NETWORK
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