Climate change - public engagement strategy: mid-point review
The climate change public engagement strategy committed to a review at the mid-point of delivery. The review provides a summary of activities delivered since the publication of the strategy, reflects on the approach being taken and recommends improvements to achieve objectives in future delivery.
1. Introduction
In September 2021, the Scottish Government published ‘Net Zero Nation’ – a five-year Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change (PES). Producing a public engagement strategy is a legislative requirement as contained within the Climate Change Act, in recognition that achieving Scotland’s emissions targets will require understanding, participation, and action from people across Scotland. The PES sets out the Scottish Government’s vision that everyone in Scotland recognises the implication of the global climate emergency, fully understands and contributes to Scotland’s response, and embraces their role in the transition to a net zero and climate ready Scotland.
The PES is structured around three key pillars and the activities delivered are intended to help achieve these strategic objectives. These objectives are based on significant engagement with the public and experts in climate change engagement:
Strategic Objectives
Understand
People are aware of the action that all of Scotland is taking to tackle climate change and understand how it relates to their lives
Participate
People actively participate in shaping just, fair and inclusive policies that promote mitigation of and adaptation to climate change
Act
Taking action on climate change is normalised and encouraged in households, communities and places across Scotland
The PES committed to conducting an interim review of the strategy at the mid-way point of delivery. The aim of this review is to provide an update on progress towards these objectives, and help understand what improvements might be needed. The PES was developed in the context of evidence and research on what makes effective public engagement on climate change and that evidence-base has guided its implementation. The mid-point review therefore also provides an opportunity to test those evidence-based assumptions about what works, and consider whether the approach needs adapting in light of new learning.
To achieve these aims for the mid-point review, this review asks the following questions:
1. What activities have been delivered since the publication of the PES?
2. What have been the key outcomes of these activities, and how do they reflect progress against the PES’s strategic objectives?
3. How does the approach taken fit with:
i) wider evidence on effective public engagement?
ii) what the public and our stakeholders say they want?
4. What learning from the above might inform the remainder of the PES’s implementation?