The Environment Strategy for Scotland
This Environment Strategy is designed to create an integrated framework for Scotland's environment and climate policies. It aims to support a whole-of-government approach for fulfilling Scotland's role in tackling the global crises of nature loss, climate change and pollution.
Annex B: Overview of the Environment Strategy evidence base
Research projects commissioned to support the evidence base for the pathways for the outcomes on Scotland’s society, economy and global environmental impact are outlined in Figure 13, below. These projects evaluated what evidence tells us about Scotland’s current progress towards these outcomes and then developed recommendations for how devolved policy levers could be used most effectively to help drive further progress. The research projects used systems thinking approaches and other analytical tools, such as ecological footprinting, and were overseen by stakeholder working groups. The findings have helped to inform the priorities and next steps set out in the pathways. We will continue to learn from this evidence base as we take forward delivery of the Environment Strategy.
We will also continue to learn from the developing international evidence base. This includes a series of assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on i) the types of transformative economic and societal changes needed to reverse global biodiversity loss,[171] and ii) the importance of integrated approaches that recognise the close connections between goals for biodiversity, climate, water, food and health.[172] This Strategy incorporates many of the recommended steps set out in those assessments, but we will explore further opportunities to learn from the findings as we deliver the Strategy.
Links to research projects in Figure 13:
Global Footprint Network research project link
Overseas impacts of consumption & production link
Sustainable consumption: policy levers review link
Sustainable consumption: best practice review link
Stockholm Environment Institute research project link
Transformative change: international review link
Behaviour changes for biodiversity review link
Behaviour changes for circular economy review link
New Economics Foundation research project link
Nature positive economy: policy levers review link