The Environment Strategy for Scotland

4 An integrated approach to achieve our vision

To achieve our vision, a joined-up approach is essential – addressing the intrinsic links between nature loss, climate change and pollution, and the deep connections with our wider ambitions for Scotland’s economy and society. This section explains how we will support the integrated approach needed to achieve our vision.

4.1 Tackling the nature, climate and pollution crises together

There are strong synergies across our outcomes for nature, climate change, pollution and Scotland’s global environmental impact. These create opportunities to achieve multiple benefits through joined-up action. Examples of key synergies are outlined in Annex C. At the same time, we need to carefully address potential tensions that could arise without appropriate management. Some next steps for addressing these interconnections are described below, supporting a joined-up approach:

Maximising synergies

• Scale up blue-green infrastructure^[19] and other nature-based solutions. We will identify opportunities to achieve this by working with stakeholders to explore the range of policy levers that can be used, as well as barriers and solutions for overcoming these (see Annex A, Section 5.1 for further details).
• Support sustainable and regenerative management of our land and seas. Scotland has a set of pioneering frameworks for delivering multiple economic, social and environmental benefits from the management of Scotland’s land and seas, including measures to restore nature, reduce emissions and tackle pollution (Box C). We will promote delivery of these frameworks, as well as the steps for supporting regenerative land and marine-based industries in Annex A, Section 6.1.3.
• Accelerate Scotland’s transition to a circular economy. We will deliver the actions in Scotland’s Circular Economy Strategy and Circular Economy and Waste Route Map for transitioning to a circular economy and unlocking the benefits this creates for Scotland’s communities, businesses and industries (see Annex A, Section 4.1 and 6.2.2). This will be supported by next steps in the Environment Strategy for engaging with businesses and exploring options for enabling public behaviour change (Section 6.2 and 5.7).

Managing potential tensions

• We will continue to ensure that our net zero policies take account of the need to carefully manage potential tensions that could arise with the Strategy’s outcomes on nature, pollution and Scotland’s overseas impact. For example, the pathways in Annex A set out next steps for avoiding or managing potential tensions through our policy approach for renewable energy (Section 6.1.2), electric vehicles (Section 5.7.2) and woodland creation (Section 6.1.3b). To support this, our approach will continue to be guided by the integrated frameworks for land and sea use outlined in Box C, below, which are designed to promote the delivery of multiple benefits from Scotland’s land and seas.
• We will also ensure our approach to achieving our vision is designed to avoid the risk of offshoring environmental impacts to other countries.
  

Box C: Integrated frameworks for land and sea use

Scotland benefits from a set of pioneering frameworks to support delivery of multiple environmental, economic and social benefits from our land and seas:

• The Fourth National Planning Framework is our national spatial strategy for Scotland. It highlights the climate and nature crises as guiding principles for all planning decisions.
• Our Land Use Strategy sets out a holistic approach for encouraging sustainable land use, with the aim of ensuring that decisions about land use deliver improved and enduring benefits, enhancing Scotland’s wellbeing.
• The Blue Economy Vision recognises that our prosperity and wellbeing are embedded in nature and that, to harness blue opportunities, our economy and society must be transformed to thrive within the planet’s sustainable limits.
• The forthcoming second National Marine Plan will provide a new planning framework to further sustainable development and use of Scotland’s seas, promote protection and recovery of our marine environment and support our varied and unique communities.

4.2 Delivering multiple environmental, social and economic benefits

When delivering the pathways in the Strategy, there is a wealth of opportunities to create multiple benefits for Scotland’s communities and our economy (Annex D). The next steps in the pathways have been designed to help harness these opportunities. At the same time, it is important to avoid risks of unintended consequences for people and businesses. For example, these could include (among others) cost burdens that risk exacerbating inequalities, challenges for disabled people, disadvantages for rural and island communities, or unfair impacts on small businesses. We will support these economic and societal changes in ways that are designed to maximise wider benefits and avoid unintended consequences. Our integrated frameworks for land and sea use will help to guide our approach.

We also want to maximise delivery of multiple benefits from investment. This includes supporting preventative approaches, where investment to prevent harm from occurring in the first place is more cost effective than remedying the impacts of harm. The approach to green health set out in Section 5.2 (Annex A) is an example of this, helping to reduce pressure on our National Health Service. Investment in blue-green infrastructure and other nature-based solutions is a further example where investment can achieve multiple benefits, as outlined in Box F (page 55). We want to take a strategic approach to targeting and attracting public and private investment in our climate and environmental goals, in order to maximise the value we achieve from investment.

To support delivery of multiple environmental, social and economic benefits, we will:

• Deliver next steps in the pathways for the ‘society’ and ‘economy’ outcomes in ways that are designed to maximise wider benefits for people and businesses and to avoid unintended impacts, such as unfair cost burdens. The steps for engaging with people and businesses in Section 4.3 will be key to this, by helping to identify opportunities and risks.
• Support delivery of Scotland’s integrated frameworks for land and sea use (Box C). When delivering these frameworks, we will also seek to take account of the connections between them, for example, impacts of land use on our marine environment.
• Seek to deliver multiple benefits from our investment in climate and nature goals, and to support preventative approaches. This includes the next steps in Section 6.5.1 (Annex A) on delivering joint climate and nature benefits from private investment; and using green budgeting tools to improve our understanding of the environmental impacts of public spending.
• Develop guidance to support the new duty to have due regard to the Environment Strategy when developing policies, to help promote the goals of the Strategy across government in ways that encourage delivery of multiple environmental, social and economic benefits.^[20]

4.3 Working in partnership across Scotland and beyond

Achieving our vision will rely on a national effort – with people at its heart and co-designed with communities and businesses. As we deliver the Environment Strategy, we will seek to strengthen our approach to working in partnership with:

• People and communities: We want to support the system changes that will empower and enable people across Scotland to experience the benefits of shifting towards healthy, sustainable lifestyles. Steps to help achieve this are set out in Section 5.7 (Annex A). Our approach must take account of and respect communities’ diverse circumstances, including low-income households, as well as the additional challenges experienced by rural and island communities linked, for example, to geography and access to public services. Our approach must also be proactively designed to help reduce existing inequalities – for example, relating to disability, ethnicity, gender, age and wealth – and avoid creating new ones. As set out in Section 8.2 (Annex A), inclusive engagement and participatory approaches are key to this.
• Businesses: Scotland’s businesses have a pivotal role to play in our just transition to a net zero, nature positive, circular economy. We are committed to continuing to work in partnership with businesses to maximise the opportunities from this transition and avoid unintended impacts, including cost burdens for small businesses. Engagement and co-design with businesses is vital to unlock these benefits. Next steps for this are set out in Section 6.2 (Annex A).
• Public sector: Public sector organisations are essential delivery partners and are already undertaking ambitious actions to drive sustainability improvements through their own operations. We will continue to strengthen the role of the public sector in achieving our vision through the ongoing programme of Public Service Reform. Steps for green public procurement (Section 6.5.3, Annex A) and improving climate and nature literacy (Section 6.5.6) will support this.
• Third sector: Third sector organisations make an enormous contribution to driving and delivering action to tackle the nature, climate and pollution crises and representing communities across Scotland who are affected by these crises. We will continue to work closely with the third sector – as experts, stakeholders and valued delivery partners – as we take forward the next steps in this Strategy.
• Partners beyond Scotland: The global scale of these crises means continued close working with partners beyond Scotland is essential, including the UK Government, other devolved administrations and the European Union. As set out in Section 4.5 (Annex A), we will continue to work as a committed international partner in global sustainability initiatives. We will also consider opportunities for consulting with representatives from the Global South when taking forward the next steps in the pathway for the outcome on Scotland’s global environmental impact, in order to avoid unintended social, economic or environmental impacts.

4.4 Supporting local, place-based and community-led action

Achieving the Environment Strategy’s vision will rely on effective delivery at a regional and place-based level. Local delivery partners, including Local Authorities, public bodies and Enterprise Agencies play an essential role in our efforts to tackle the nature, climate and pollution crises. This is supported by a wide range of regional and place-based initiatives, such as Regional Land Use Partnerships, Regional Adaptation Partnerships, Nature Networks, regional Just Transition Plans and National Parks. Through our programme of Public Service Reform, we are exploring opportunities to maximise the effectiveness of public service delivery, including at a regional, river catchment and place-based level. As set out in Section 6.4.3 (Annex A), we will also work with regional partners to help improve coordination with regional economic policies, to strengthen delivery of shared goals.^[21]

We will engage with and empower communities to drive change through local action. To be successful, the transformations described in this Strategy should be led by communities, not imposed on them. A wide range of initiatives will help to enable this – in areas such as Community Wealth Building, land reform, support for community-led energy, forestry and food-growing initiatives, as well as the network of Community Climate Action Hubs. We want to build on this to ensure communities are empowered to lead action to help tackle the nature, climate and pollution crises, guided by local knowledge and care for their place. Our approach for supporting this is outlined in Section 8.2 (Annex A).

Scotland’s rural and island areas will play an essential role in delivering the Environment Strategy’s vision. It is vital to ensure that our approach is designed to take account of the diverse circumstances experienced by our rural and island communities, avoiding a one-size-fits all approach.^[22] The pathways set out in this Strategy will therefore vary across Scotland in different geographical contexts. For example, the challenges and opportunities of sustainable transport for our rural and island communities often differ from those in more urban communities. When delivering the pathways, we will take account of the additional challenges experienced by rural and island communities and promote a place-based approach. The delivery of our pathways will also align with the objectives and vision of our new National Islands Plan. It recognises that island communities are often on the frontline of the climate and nature crises, experiencing significant climate impacts while also hosting iconic and internationally important habitats and species. At the same time, Scotland’s islands are playing a pioneering role in our action to tackle these crises – from renewable energy and nature-based solutions to community-led adaptation. The Plan sets out a range of commitments aimed at supporting climate and nature action, in ways that will benefit and resonate with island communities. More broadly, these commitments will also support the Plan’s overarching ambitions for population retention and attraction, by creating wider benefits for the health, wellbeing and prosperity of island communities.