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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. 

PSCAN Autumn 2024 gathering - a group of people stand together under some trees in the sunshine smiling at the camera.

PSCAN members at their latest in person gathering in autumn 2024

We are delighted to announce that the Adaptation Scotland programme’s Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network (PSCAN) has reached an impressive milestone, now representing 65 member organisations, including 27 local authorities. This means PSCAN now encompasses over one-third of Scotland’s public sector.

The newest members to join this network are: 

  • Cairngorms National Park
  • Clackmannanshire Council 
  • Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar 
  • Glasgow Kelvin College 
  • Heriot-Watt University 
  • Midlothian Council 
  • National Libraries of Scotland
  • National Records of Scotland 
  • NHS Assure
  • NHS Fife 
  • Orkney Islands Council 
  • Scotland Excel 
  • SEPA 
  • The Scottish Government 
  • University of Aberdeen 

New members join a growing community of practitioners who are leading, or closely involved with implementing climate adaptation work within public sector organisations. Members benefit from: 

Since its inception in 2019, PSCAN has become a leading example of how collaboration and learning exchanges can accelerate adaptation ambition and drive meaningful action. 

Nick Blyth, Climate Change Strategy Officer, Orkney Islands Council, who joined the network this month, reflects on the Council’s increased consideration of climate change risks and impacts in future service delivery: 

“Orkney Islands Council are delighted to join Adaptation Scotland’s Public Sector Network. Our infrastructure and service planning, already includes a range of safety and resilience work to support communities.  In planning future services, the Council will increasingly take account of climate related risks and impacts (sea level rise, warmer summers, increased rainfall and weather events).  We are excited to join this important network to build our own capacity and to share leading-edge knowledge and practical action for addressing the impacts of our changing climate.” 

The network’s diverse membership includes local authorities, infrastructure operators, cultural and heritage organisations, health services, land managers, and universities and colleges. 

Heriot-Watt University also join the Network this year, with Deputy Principal for Global Sustainability, Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer highlighting the importance of adaptation actions alongside the University’s carbon reduction targets.  

“Joining PSCAN reinforces our University’s commitment to sustainability. Our Climate Action Framework outlines our ambitious carbon reduction targets and empowers our communities across our global campuses to greener living through a combination of mitigation and adaptation measures. We recognise PSCAN’s dedication to researching best practices, and membership would provide invaluable access to this expert knowledge, enhancing our adaptation strategies and fostering collaboration with local authorities. We look forward to building valuable partnerships with PSCAN members.”  

With the publication of Scotland’s National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3) in September 2024, there is a clear role for a collaborative public sector to lead on, and support action towards a climate resilient Scotland.  Launching the plan at a visit to the Restoring the River Leven project, First Minister John Swinney said: 

“While we must ensure Scotland continues to play its part in addressing the causes of climate change, we must also be ready to deal with the impacts that are already locked in giving us wetter winters, drier summers and more weather-related disruption. Our new Adaptation Plan is our most comprehensive response to protecting people’s lives and livelihoods against the risks of climate change – with over 200 actions to build climate resilience in our communities, businesses, public services and natural environment.” 

Photo showing 6 people sat around a table with papers, pens, and post-it notes. One person points to one of the papers, leaning over. Other people sat at tables are visible in the background

PSCAN members collaborating at the September meeting

A group of people sit around tables in a large room.

PSCAN members gather at Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, September 2024. Photography: Andrew Perry.

The Adaptation Scotland programme’s Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network (PSCAN) met at Edinburgh Climate Change Institute on Wednesday 25th September, during Scotland’s Climate Week, for the network’s bi-annual meeting.

The PSCAN is a group of adaptation practitioners representing public sector organisations in Scotland. Since 2019, the network has provided opportunity for knowledge exchange and peer-peer support on climate change adaptation. The Network is part of the Adaptation Scotland programme, which is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Scottish charity Verture.

Taking place on the same day as the launch of SNAP3 – Scotland’s National Adaptation Plan – the event reiterated the crucial role of the public sector in responding to climate change impacts, understanding climate risk and vulnerability, and optimising co-benefits of adaptation action.

The agenda included sessions on a range of topics:

Participants gather around a table making notes using post-its.
Adaptation Capability Framework workshop

Over 80 participants took part, online and in-person. The Adaptation Scotland programme team at Verture would like to extend our gratitude to contributors including; Ian Freeman (The Scottish Government), Kit England (Paul Watkiss Associates), Joanna Teuton, Michelle Gillies and Theresa Glasgow (Public Health Scotland) and Victoria Ramsey (Met Office), as well as member organisations who contributed to discussion through the day. Organisations interested in joining the network are invited to express interest by 25th October 2024.

PSCAN members gather on a grass lawn

PSCAN members gather at Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, September 2024. Photography: Andrew Perry.

The Adaptation Scotland programme is excited to announce the opportunity for public body organisations to join The Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network (PSCAN). PSCAN is comprised of public bodies who work together to share learning and demonstrate leadership to progress action on climate change adaptation.

The group was established in June 2019 and includes 50 major organisations including local authorities, infrastructure operators, universities and national public bodies.

We are now offering the opportunity for a further 10 organisations to join the Network in October 2024.

Who can join the Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network?

The Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network is open to practitioners who are leading, or closely involved with implementing adaptation work within public sector organisations.

What will participants gain from being involved in the group?

Participants benefit from:

PSCAN members take part in an Adaptation Capability Framework Workshop
PSCAN members take part in an Adaptation Capability Framework Workshop. Read about our recent gathering.

What level of commitment is expected from members?

Members are expected to:

How can I get involved?

To apply to join the Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network, please email the Adaptation Scotland programme team at Verture to express your interest by Friday 25th October 2024 with details of:

Please note that places are limited to 10 new organisations to join the Network at this time. If demand exceeds available places, the Adaptation Scotland programme will prioritise allocations to ensure a wide variety public sector organisations and locations are represented.

New members will be invited to an introductory session to take place online in early November.

If you have any questions, or would like to have an informal chat about the Network, please email the Adaptation Scotland programme team at Verture.

Graphic depicting Scotland's Climate Week, with Scottish Government logo, #ScotClimateWeek, and an illustration of a globe with plants and butterflies around it

Scotland’s Climate Week kicks off today, Monday 23rd September. This annual event is a celebration of the positive action people are taking across Scotland to lower our climate emissions, and increase our resilience to climate impacts.

Stories for Change

This year’s theme is “Stories for Change” which aims to encourage individuals, communities, and organisations to share their personal experiences and actions of what they’re doing to adapt to and combat climate change. Sharing stories is a powerful tool for connecting people and inspiring this necessary collective action. By sharing our journey and solutions on social media using #ScotClimateWeek, we can help others understand the impact of climate change and motivate them to take action.

If you’re feeling inspired by the #StoriesForChange being shared, we’ll be posting lots of ways you can help tackle climate change through the Adaptation Scotland programme’s activities and partners.

Get involved

Wondering how to get involved? The Scottish Government has provided free resources to help you get started. Visit the Net Zero Nation website to access the free toolkit.

Throught the week, the Adaptation Scotland programme is running a series of events, including:

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 stone bridge over a river in sunshine. The bridge is reflected in the water. Green grass and trees are on either side of the river.

Pollock Park in Glasgow

As part of the public consultation for the Draft Third Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3), Adaptation Scotland is supporting the Scottish Government to deliver workshops to gather feedback and input from a variety of communities, infrastructure providers, business, industry and finance.

Five place-based workshops were facilitated around Scotland in collaboration with local Climate Hubs. These took place in Annan, Montrose, Golspie, South Uist, and Glasgow. The aim was to support participation of people vulnerable to climate change to help inform the further development of the Plan, gathering their lived experiences of climate change, and supporting their engagement in adaptation policy and action in Scotland. More than 100 people took part overall.

Snapshot from Golspie

In Golspie, the workshop gave the local community an opportunity to learn about SNAP3, and for the Scottish Government’s Adaptation Team to hear directly from some of the Highland regions most immediately vulnerable places. As of 2021, more than 100 Golspie properties lie within 50 metres of the current mean high-water springs (MHWS). According to Dynamic Coast, unchecked, present maximum coastal erosion rates may increase with sea level rise resulting in ~-330 m retreat by 2100 across Golspie. This is what many coastal communities in Scotland may experience in the future. Golspie residents have become powerful adaptation and resilience communicators, developing the skills and knowledge needed to accurately and passionately convey their community’s needs.

Engaging stakeholders

In addition to this, Adaptation Scotland programme has also supported a series of thematic workshops with the Scottish Government. This has included sessions at the Scotland’s Flood Resilience Conference in Edinburgh, a session as part of the bi-annual Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network event with over 50 participants, and an online session with stakeholders involved in nature, land use, and marine environments. Further events focused on business and finance, infrastructure, and economic development are taking place throughout April.

The consultation remains open until 24th April 2024 and we would encourage readers to review the Draft SNAP3 plan, and contribute to the online consultation.

A group of people gather in front of two presentation screens with people on them.

PSCAN members at the recent gathering

We were delighted to be joined by over 70 participants for the Adaptation Scotland’s Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network at our recent gathering. The Network is made up of public bodies who work together to benchmark their progress against the Adaptation Capability Framework and identify and share learning on climate change adaptation.

The latest gathering was held in Edinburgh with around half of the attendees there in person, and half joining online from around Scotland. Organisations represented included local authorities, universities and colleges, infrastructure providers, and other public bodies.

The first session from the ECCI’s Adaptation Community of Practice session looked at the challenges faced by the Netwok in implementing adaptation within their organisations, and what was preventing change from happening. Its breakout discussions were centred on what a well-adapted Scotland would look like and what needs to change or improve in organisations and communities for this to happen.

Harper Loonsk, Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator of Highland Adapts at Verture, who attended online found this session brought some interesting discussion amongst attendees:

“It was interesting to have different perspectives and points coming through from those working across Scotland and to see where different minds went with the same questions. I find the network helpful to connect with people outside of the Highlands and to keep up to date on what is going on across the country.”

There were also updates from the Scottish Government on the National Adaptation Plan draft (SNAP3) with the opportunity for feedback from participants. The public consultation remains open until 24th April.

Three members of the network – Police Scotland, Scottish Parliament, and Creative Scotland – shared their experiences of implementing adaptation measures at their organisations.

Police Scotland gave an overview of how adaptation is being incorporated into every aspect of its work from embedded it with its staff to reviewing its buildings and fleet vehicles, as well as tackling environmental hazards such as increased tick prevalence.

The Scottish Parliament outlined the journey it had gone on undertaking a risk assessment through the framework and learning from previous experiences of extreme weather events.

Creative Scotland shared how adaptation is being incorporated into the organisational culture and the work being delivered through it.

Looking back over the day Maureen Lynch, Environment and Sustainability Advisor at the Scottish Parliament said:

“Being part of the network is great for building connections, learning about the latest developments in Adaptation, as well as a space to ask for advice and share progress which enables public sector bodies to support each other on our adaptation journeys.”

The Network continues to expand, and it was great to have some new members with us.

Laura Burnett, Climate Change Adaptation Technical Lead at Scottish Water, joining the Network for the first time in her new role at Scottish Water, said:

“Attending PSCAN has resulted in many opportunities for collaboration, be that in place-based adaptation work, or shared learning in protecting front-line emergency response workers. I was struck by the curiosity, support, and knowledge of those in the room.”

We’re looking forward to our next gathering later in the year with more opportunities to share learning and advice and make connections with those going through their own adaptation journeys. To find out more about the network and how to join visit its webpage here.