Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 strategy: progress report

Annex C: milestones and updates for current actions

Delivery milestones for actions were set out in the 2022/23 progress report; these milestones are shown in the table below alongside a progress update for 2024 and 2025. Each action in CAFS2 has been assigned a short (to 2022), medium (to 2024) or longer term (to 2026) timeframe for delivery within the Delivery Plan.

Topic and timeframe: Health (long term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government with support from Public Health Scotland will commission an assessment of actual exposures experienced by a representative sample of the Scottish population, assessing pollution exposures over a realistic activity range during a normal time period.

2023 Milestone: By end 2024 we will commission research.

2024 Update: An evidence review has been commissioned, focusing on an extensive examination of existing literature to identify realistic assessments of air pollutant exposure that are representative of the Scottish population.

2025 Update: The evidence review is being re-commissioned, and we expect the report will be available later this year.

Topic and timeframe: Placemaking (medium term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government with support from SEPA will implement the National Modelling Framework Regional air quality model to assess the effects of land-use development on local air quality.

2023 Milestone: SEPA has supported the development and incorporation of features to facilitate air quality and human health assessments in the Air Pollution Assessment Service (APAS) tool. At present JNCC is looking to launch APAS at the end of 2023 or early in 2024. A consortium has been formed to consider next steps for implementation of the APAS tool.

2024 Update: The human health element of the APAS tool will be considered during 2024.

2025 Update: The next stage of the project is currently being considered by the steering group.

Topic and timeframe: Behaviour change (medium term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government will develop a public engagement strategy on air quality in Scotland, taking into account the recommendations from the University of the West of England evidence review.

2023 Milestone: We are working with stakeholders on the development of a public engagement framework, with a view to publish the framework in 2024.

2024 Update: We have hosted three public engagement workshops and published a ‘key behaviours for air quality’ report. The outputs will be used to develop the public engagement framework during 2024.

2025 Update: Public engagement this year is focused around Clean Air Day and supporting local authorities on vehicle idling. Additionally, we have launched our Air Quality Engagement Network for stakeholders to support and improve engagement. This supports the development of our public engagement framework, which we will take forward as part of the development of the next air quality framework.

Topic and timeframe: Industrial emissions regulation (long term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government, Transport Scotland and SEPA will engage with industry to produce guidance on requirements for gaseous and particulate emission from Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM).

2023 Milestone: In 2025 the Scottish Government with support from Transport Scotland will look to commission research to help quantify the impact of emissions from NRMM on air quality in Scotland. The evidence will be used to inform the next steps.

2024 Update: We have met with Transport Scotland to discuss the next steps in delivering this action. This action is on track for delivery.

2025 Update: We are considering next steps for this action.

Topic and timeframe: Tackling non transport emissions (short term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government will commission work to provide further evidence on the proportion of particulate matter emissions and other key pollutants attributable to domestic burning in Scotland, together with geographic and demographic distribution of domestic burning.

2023 Milestone: A research project led by Scotland’s Rural College is focusing on urban air pollution issues, particularly domestic combustion, its effects on particulate matter and the consequences for human health. The research will also look at the geographical distribution of combustion and types of fuel used. For a spatially complete assessment of the contribution of domestic burning to particulate matter an atmospheric chemistry and transport model was used together with the 2022 release of the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) for 2020 to model the contribution from biomass burning. This modelling exercise will be updated with further improved emissions, the resolution will be increased from currently 3 km to 1 km, model performance will be assessed against measurements, and the results will then be made available (by March 2024) for an assessment of health impacts as well as their geographical and demographic distribution (by 2025).

2024 Update: This project has been commissioned as set out in the delivery plan. So far the project has conducted field sampling campaigns at two field sites in Edinburgh (smoke controlled urban) and Fife (rural) to assess the contribution of domestic biomass burning to PM2.5. The project is due to complete in 2026.

2025 Update: Interim report due in 2025. The health and demographic analysis is due to be recommissioned in 2025.

Topic and timeframe: Tackling non transport emissions (medium term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government with local authorities will consider what changes are needed to the current permitted development rights for flues for woodburning stoves and biomass boilers.

2023 Milestone: We consulted on the third phase of the review of permitted development rights (PDR) between May and August 2023. The consultation sought views on potential changes to the current PDR for flues for woodburning stoves and biomass boilers. We are carefully considering the responses received and will use these to inform next steps.

2024 Update: We have considered the consultation responses and further work is underway to look at how more geographically targeted changes to permitted development rights for certain domestic flues for wood burning stoves and biomass boilers could help address the issues of nuisance and air quality.

2025 Update: We are continuing to consider this along with Planning as part of our wider work on domestic combustion.

Topic and timeframe: Tackling non transport emissions (medium term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government will support investigation into the method of assessing risk of significant harmful ecological effects from atmospheric nitrogen (nitrogen deposition and elevated concentrations of ammonia and NOx), comparing critical loads/levels with dose-response or other options.

2023 Milestone: A project led by the JHI is focusing on understanding the interactive impacts of nitrogen deposition and climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, particularly carbon and nitrogen cycling. The project will develop indicators of these impacts for use in environmental monitoring on protected areas and in the wider countryside and explore the potential for mitigation of impacts and appropriate methods to apply. The final strand of this project will be modelling of scenarios of nitrogen deposition and climate impacts on natural ecosystems. These modelling frameworks will be used to explore and map risks to biodiversity and ecosystem function for a series of scenarios of future nitrogen deposition rates and climate change, based on socioeconomic, climate change and air quality policy scenarios. The key outputs of this work will be risk maps/visualisations and a scientific manuscript in year five of the project (2026/27).

2024 Update: Two reports have been completed that (i) review the interactive effects of climate change and nitrogen deposition on natural ecosystems and (ii) review the mitigation potential of nitrogen deposition in semi-natural ecosystems.

A number of field sites have been surveyed and sampled across different habitat types. Although this is a medium term action, survey work will continue in years three and four (2024-2026) therefore the action will be complete by 2026.

2025 Update: JHI is revisiting long-term vegetation plots to assess the effects of nitrogen deposition and climate change on alpine biodiversity. So far, vegetation, moss, and soil have been surveyed at 198 sites across Scotland, with an additional 100 sites planned for summer 2025 in Orkney, Shetland, and the Cairngorms. DNA sequencing of soil samples is being used to analyse biodiversity patterns in relation to pollution and climate factors, while chemical analyses of moss and soil help assess nitrogen deposition.

Topic and timeframe: Tackling non transport emissions (medium term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government with support from SEPA and NatureScot will assess the potential costs of implementing identified improvements to the current site condition monitoring of designated conservation sites, to improve on current methods which don’t detect air pollution effects.

2023 Milestone: A project led by the JHI commenced in April 2022. The second work package will consider the mitigation potential for identified nitrogen impacts. Field experiments began in August 2023.

2024 Update: Work package two will use survey work to understand whether peatland restoration and re-wetting ameliorates the effects of nitrogen deposition. Field sites have been selected with surveys due to start later in 2024. This project is due to complete in 2026.

2025 Update: Pairs of restored and unrestored peatland sites are being analysed to assess total nitrogen content and other indicators of nitrogen impacts. Six pairs of sites were sampled in 2024, and in 2025 sampling will be extended to Cumbria to include heavily nitrogen-polluted sites and aid interpretation of the data.

Topic and timeframe: Tackling non transport emissions (long term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government will take forward, working with businesses that may be affected and other interested parties, potential measures to control the supply of the most polluting domestic fuels – including a ban on house coal, restricting the sulphur content of smokeless fuels to 2%, prohibiting the sale of certain types of wet wood and introduction of a minimum renewables content for manufactured smokeless fuels. In taking forward this work, we are mindful that any new measures would require to be implemented over a period of time, such as a transitional period during which businesses could adapt to the new requirements without disproportionate costs.

2023 Milestone: An evidence report to inform proposals for introducing a ban on the sale of house coal and high sulphur content manufactured solid fuels in Scotland has been published.

2024 Update: Work is ongoing with discussions held with the Domestic Emissions Working Group

2025 Update: We will continue to consider the evidence around the potential impacts of taking forward a ban on the sale of house coal on fuel supplies and costs in rural and islands communities, where many still rely on coal for heating their homes. A move towards cleaner fuels must take place as part of a just transition, ensuring that no one is left in fuel poverty.

Topic and timeframe: Tackling non transport emissions (long term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government and SEPA will continue to share best practice and raise awareness of greenhouse gases and ammonia, and actions that farmers and crofters can take to minimise their environmental impact while improving efficiency.

2023 Milestone: Good practice to minimise emissions to air will be incorporated into relevant chapters of the updated PEPFAA code. By end of 2023 the slurry and manure management and inorganic and liquid fertilisers chapters of the revised code review are expected to be complete.

In addition a project led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) commenced in April 2022, with one of its objectives being the development of tools to encourage farmers, land managers and decision makers to reduce ammonia emissions. Researchers will draw on literature and existing and developing expertise to develop a farm-level ammonia foot printing and decision support tool for ruminant farmers, demonstrating the benefits of mitigation interventions on commercial farms. In March 2024 recruitment for farm case studies will begin.

2024 Update: Both of the relevant PEPFAA code chapters have now been updated and published, and can be found here PEPFAA- Code of Good Practice - Farming and Water Scotland

In the first two years of the SRUC project a meta-analysis has been undertaken to assess the trade-offs between ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) with various mitigation measures. A spreadsheet based decision support tool has been developed to assess ammonia emissions from livestock and land use practices. In years 3-5 (2024-2027) of the project the tool will be tested on a number of SRUC’s research farms to aid further refinement and assess on farm trade-offs in ammonia and GHG emissions. In addition, a scoping study will be completed that details the available and emerging technologies for measuring ammonia emissions.

2025 Update: The ammonia footprinting exercise has been completed for two farms, and suitable models for weather-related emissions forecasting have been assessed. A case study farm for more detailed analysis using the preferred model will be the focus of the remainder of the programme. The case study will include financial analysis as well as emissions footprinting.

Topic and timeframe: Tackling non transport emissions (long term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government will consider options to reduce emissions from large scale units in consultation with the agricultural sector, aligning with broader policy development around future rural support.

2023 Milestone: Early 2024 we will discuss with the CAFS2 Agriculture and Environment Working Group and consider options.

2024 Update: As part of the consultation on the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations (ended 30 March), we sought views on options for reducing ammonia emissions for livestock farms. We are assessing the consultation responses and will be working with stakeholders to take forward any recommendations.

2025 Update: The Scottish Government remains committed to action to reduce ammonia emissions from large scale units in the agricultural sector, and has consulted on this in December 2023. Work is ongoing to: collate information to better understand emissions from the dairy and beef sectors in Scotland; investigate further measures to address emissions; and engage with the sector to ensure any proposals for action are proportionate and effective.

Topic and timeframe: Transport (medium term action)

CAFS2 Action: Public bodies should incorporate travel from employee commute as part of their corporate carbon footprint and will report these emissions via their public bodies duties reporting.

2023 Milestone: Scottish Government guidance to public bodies - Public Sector Leadership on the Global Climate Emergency published in Oct 2021 - says that it is expected as a matter of best practice that public bodies should have targets to reduce emissions from commuting and the guidance makes suggestions for how public bodies might influence and measure commuting emissions. The Scottish Government is developing new statutory guidance on public bodies’ climate change duties and climate change reporting to be published in 2025.

2024 Update: On track for completion by 2025.

2025 Update: A consultation was launched in February to gather views in order to support finalising the statutory guidance - Climate change duties - draft statutory guidance for public bodies: consultation - gov.scot

Topic and timeframe: Further progress review (long term action)

CAFS2 Action: The Scottish Government with support from SEPA will initiate a review on progress with implementing CAFS2 during 2024, with a view to having a further version of Scotland’s air quality strategy in place by the end of 2025.

2023 Milestone: We will develop a timeline with the CAFS2 Delivery and Working Groups and publish the revised timeline in the next progress report.

2024 Update: We have agreed the approach to developing the next phase in air quality, with the CAFS2 Delivery and Working Groups, with work beginning in Summer 2025.

2025 Update: Engagement with stakeholders is taking place in 2025, with a public consultation in 2026, and new air quality framework published in 2026.