Climate change - public engagement strategy: mid-point review

5. Participate: Enabling Participation in Policy Design

Our Strategic Objective

People actively participate in shaping just, fair and inclusive policies that promote mitigation of and adaptation to climate change

The PES committed to improving the way people are able to participate in climate change policymaking, in line with Scottish Government’s Open Government Action Plan. The PES states: “it is vital that constructive dialogue with people and communities is at the heart of developing climate policy”. The PES also outlined an ambition to deliver “an innovative, comprehensive and consistent approach to participation in climate change policymaking”.

Delivery against this objective has been achieved through several routes. Scotland’s Climate Assembly took place over 2020-2021 with legacy work continuing into 2022. This legacy project involved £20,000 funding in 2022-23 for support to establish a members network. The project provided training and mentoring for members for a short period of time, to enable their work as ambassadors for the process and their recommendations, and to continue to increase wider awareness and impact of the process. Following that, the Climate Change Participation Programme has worked to inform the development of specific Scottish Government climate policies and plans. Facilitation of the Climate Policy Engagement Network (CPEN) has also provided opportunities for participation and dialogue with a range of climate and non-climate civil society organisations.

5.1 Learning from Scotland’s Climate Assembly

5.1.1 Background

A citizens’ assembly is a group of people who are brought together to learn about and discuss an issue, and reach conclusions about what they think should happen. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2019 required Scottish Ministers to establish a citizens’ assembly on climate change. Scotland’s Climate Assembly brought together over 100 individuals, representative of the Scottish population, to learn about, discuss, and make recommendations in response to their agreed question: ‘how should Scotland change to tackle the climate emergency in an effective and fair way?’

The Assembly published their report on 23 June 2021, which included the Statement of Ambition, 16 goals and 81 associated recommendations with supporting statements, as well as 42 Calls to Action from the Children’s Parliament. As per the Climate Change Act, the Scottish Government was required to respond by 23 December 2021 and the response was published on 16 December 2021.

The PES committed to apply lessons from Scotland’s Climate Assembly to develop further deliberative approaches to public engagement across climate change and environmental policy. A summary of these lessons is outlined below.

5.1.2 Summary of outcomes and learning

Independent research was conducted into the Assembly. This research had several objectives including to: support continuous improvement in the delivery of the Assembly whilst in process; evaluate the success of the Assembly as a deliberative process; and assess the impact of the Assembly on climate change debate and policy in Scotland.

The research concludes that, on the whole, the Assembly was successful as a deliberative process. It also flags that many features of the Assembly were designed to optimise its impact, noting:

• The Secretariat remained in post beyond the end of the Assembly enabling them to promote the Assembly recommendations within the Scottish Government.
• The Civic Charter mobilised some stakeholders and civil society groups to support the Assembly recommendations.
• Assembly members and Government Ministers were brought into discussion together, via a Q&A session, over the government response to the Assembly as part of an additional Assembly session after the response was published.

However, the review makes clear the limitations of the Assembly in terms of its impact on subsequent policy decisions: “The Scottish Government response is comprehensive, but the way it is written makes it difficult to identify exactly what impact the Assembly has had on policy, and no evidence of Assembly impact was found in other policy documents analysed.”

The review notes that the timing and scope of Assembly recommendations are likely to have limited its policy impact, i.e. they were very wide-ranging and the time of publication did not align with the development of climate policies which could have integrated them. The report also highlights that the Assembly made recommendations for policies which already exist, or are outwith devolved competency, and suggest including a critical review of existing Scottish Government climate change policy within the Assembly process could have avoided this.

Overall the independent report concluded that the Climate Assembly was a successful deliberative process from which valuable learning was taken which could help shape and strengthen future participation activities. However, the lack of ability to track the impact of the outcomes on Scottish Government climate change policy is a significant weakness in terms of progress towards the Participate objective of the PES. The Assembly recommendations will continue to be a source of evidence for climate policy development.

5.2 Participation Programme

5.2.1 Background and summary of delivery

The Climate Change Participation Programme (begun in December 2022) has involved a series of participative projects delivering events and engagements to gather views and ideas from people across Scotland. It has a distinct aim of encouraging wide participation in policy-making particularly from people who are likely to be significantly impacted by the net zero transition. The outputs from the programme have fed into the development of specific Scottish Government climate change policies and plans. Between 2023 and 2024, over £400,000 was provided to support participative activities to inform climate policy.

In 2023 and 2024, the Participation Programme followed three phases and had a particular, but not exclusive, focus on just transition planning (JTPs) in three key sectors – transport, the built environment and construction, and land use and agriculture. Phase 1 focused on identifying key principles and objectives of a just transition in these sectors as well as key issues, challenges, and opportunities. Participants were drawn from a wide range of representative organisations to help policymakers develop an understanding of the needs of different groups across society. Further details on these workshops are available here.

Scottish Government then published a series of discussion papers that drew on the findings from these workshops, set out the learning, and included questions to address in future events. This led to Phase 2 of the Participation Programme where Scottish Government worked with a number of partners to deliver an extensive programme of online and in-person events. This included workshops with the public sector; business; the construction sector; and representative organisations supporting people with specific protected characteristics or interests. The aim of this phase was to draw out the priorities and needs of different groups affected by the net zero transition, and ensure that the Just Transition Plans, and wider Scottish Government policy, draw on a diverse range of perspectives.

Phase 3, undertaken in early to mid-2024, sought to build on the outcomes of Phase 2, and to consider specific issues in more depth.

Over 2,000 people were engaged throughout the three phases of the programme . This included approximately 460 young people, at least 50 from “hard to reach” groups, and over 50 Gaelic speakers. An estimated 30% of individuals were rural residents, based on available participant data. At least 270 organisations were represented across public and private sector.

In addition to facilitated events, the Scottish Government’s Climate Participation and Engagement Network (CPEN) was used to seek views from a wide network of representative organisations. ClimateXChange also commissioned Ipsos to undertake a deliberative research project with a focus group to consider how the costs and benefits associated with the net zero transition may be fairly distributed. A Just Transition Engagement mailbox was also set up for written submissions.

The Just Transition planning process is still underway. The JTPs that were the focus of the participation programme are under development, taking into account the outputs of the engagement, with the participation programme continuing to operate in support of climate policy across just transition, mitigation and adaptation.

The Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3) was published in draft in January 2024 for a 12 week period of public consultation. Over 50 stakeholder events were arranged, with support through the Participation Programme, to allow groups across Scotland, particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, to feed into the draft and to respond to key consultation questions (post publication). The Glasgow Disability Alliance hosted a workshop with over 40 of its members to consider the impacts of climate change on disabled people. Events were also held with residents in five places around Scotland– Annan, Montrose, Golspie, South Uist and Glasgow - with support from local community climate action hubs,. This extensive approach helped triple engagement levels compared to the previous Adaptation Plan, and ensure that the new Plan met its strategic approach to have a community-led, place-based focus to the overall policy package and implementation period.

5.2.2 Summary of outcomes and learning

Outputs from the programme have been, and continue to be taken into consideration for just transition planning and policy development. For example, outputs on reducing private car usage through such mechanisms as road user charging and car sharing, helped to inform the 20% car km reduction route-map and the draft Transport Just Transition Plan. In addition, questions set out in the consultation on the draft Transport Just Transition Plan seeks to build on the outputs of the participation programme and test policy solutions.

Scottish Government has also recognised the benefits of capacity building among participants, noting that more deliberative engagement approaches allowed for deeper discussions, and input from experts, leading to more informed stakeholder input. This was observed in the approach adopted by Ipsos in their research.

It should be noted that a lack of demographic data on participants in the Participation Programme makes it difficult to determine how far all groups have been represented.

Finally, Scottish Government recognise the need for more consistency in how the results of these engagements, and responses to the recommendations produced, are communicated back out to participants and the wider public. There is opportunity to improve this through delivery of phase 4 of the Participation Programme which will involve engagement and events in support of formal consultations on the draft Just Transition Plans.

5.3 Climate Policy Engagement Network (CPEN)

5.3.1 Background and summary of delivery

CPEN represents Scottish Government’s climate commitment within the Open Government Action Plan 2021-25 to “establish a stakeholder network to deliver on participation and engagement requirements across key milestones for climate change policy”.

Scotland is a member of the Open Government Network, an international collaboration of governments across the world committed to openness, transparency and public involvement.

CPEN, originally also known as the Open Government Network, was launched in January 2023. An initial core group of stakeholders co-created the network’s Terms of Reference. CPEN currently has around 130 representatives from both climate and non-climate organisations, including the public sector, equalities groups, community organisations and academia. As such, they collectively represent a range of geographies and demographics in Scotland.

The purpose of the network is to enable members to:

• Participate directly in engagement activities to support policy development, on behalf of the audience and memberships they represent
• Advise on Scottish Government engagement plans, based on their expertise and experience of previous engagement activity

The objectives of the network are to:

• Reach diverse audiences via representatives of trusted messenger organisations
• Provide a forum for direct engagement between these organisations / individuals and climate policymakers
• Consolidate stakeholder networks into a single, streamlined network that allows for collaboration between organisations with different interests and of different size

Communication with the network is undertaken via a dynamic online platform where members can share information and feedback on opportunities, put forward by Scottish Government officials.

5.3.2 Summary of outcomes and learning

Delivery of CPEN is measured against a series of milestones, included within Scotland’s Open Government Action Plan 2021-25 and published on the Open Government page of the Scottish Government website.

Milestone: Deliver biannual network meetings

Progress: Biannual online network meetings provide space for discussion, feedback, review and forward planning. The first biannual members network meeting was held in February 2024, attended by 27 members. The second was held on 10 December, with 11 attendees.

Milestone: Ensure a robust network

Progress: Officials continually evaluate the progress and success of the network including by listening to member feedback, ensuring continued engagement, relevancy and assessing Scottish Government/members’ satisfaction with the network’s functions.

Milestone: Develop opportunities for CPEN members to contribute to the Scottish Government’s wider climate change policy development

Progress: Since its inception in 2023 CPEN members have contributed to the following policy areas/publications:

• Climate Change Adaptation/Scottish National Adaptation Plan 3
• Water/Wastewater and Flooding/National Flood Resilience Strategy
• Circular Economy/single use disposable cups levy
• Climate Change Engagement/Climate Engagement Fund
• Just Transition planning

Officials are engaged in a programme of internal promotion of CPEN to increase opportunities available to members to contribute to Scottish Government policy development.

Milestone: Develop opportunities for CPEN members to contribute to Scottish Government Just Transition Plans

Progress: During 2023, CPEN members made early contributions to just transition engagement plans and shaped SG approach to place-based engagement.

During 2024, CPEN members contributed to the sectoral Just Transition Plans on Land Use and Agriculture, and Transport. Activity covered place-based engagement, plus business and public sector, and industry-specific engagement sessions. This included a session on the engagement plan for the Transport Just Transition Plan, delivered in September 2024.

Milestone: Develop opportunities for CPEN members to contribute to the Scottish Government Climate Change Plan

Progress: The Scottish Government announced a delay to the draft CCP publication in November 2023. Prior to this, plans were under development to involve CPEN members in early engagement on defining key issues and shaping CCP engagement plans.

Following the passage of the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2024, the next CCP will be published as soon as possible after SG receives CCC (Climate Change Committee) advice and carbon budgets have been set.

CPEN is a key CCP stakeholder network that will feature in engagement plans for CCP development during 2025.

CPEN has mostly delivered against its objectives and milestones. Members have received feedback on the tangible impact that their contributions have made, including on the engagement plan for the Transport Just Transition Plan.

An independent mid-term appraisal of the Scottish Government’s progress against its Open Government commitments was undertaken in Spring 2024. The report notes that CPEN has been successfully established and a wide range of members engaged. The network faced several challenges to clarify the purpose and value to members. The report also identified key barriers including internal promotion of the network, and capacity available for the management of CPEN. The report supported CPEN as a valuable opportunity for dynamic engagement within the PES delivery programme, with a wide range of stakeholders and their respective networks.

Members have also offered feedback on the progress and value of the network. In particular, members consistently highlight the need for feedback on how their contributions have been considered by officials or impacted upon policy development and engagement plans. There have also been requests for more opportunities to engage early in the policy development process, rather than make contributions at the consultation stage, and members have welcomed input into engagement planning.

There are also differences in how members consider the role of CPEN as a vehicle for feeding in to climate policy development and engagement. Officials expect that smaller or non-climate organisations will see greater value in inter-member engagement on the network. Larger organisations, perhaps already involved in other climate networks, may not realise the same benefits.

CPEN is an agile, low-cost engagement tool that allows direct communication between officials and key stakeholders. For the CPEN to further develop in support of the delivery of the PES, further resources and capacity from Scottish Government, civil society and members would be needed to increase activity and drive content that would be beneficial to the climate engagement and policy community.

5.4 Participate: Reflections and Implications

The evidence outlined above shows some progress has been made to achieving the ‘Participate’ objective and delivering commitments in the PES under this pillar.

Since the publication of the PES, significant lessons have been learnt on the theory and practice of participatory and deliberative methods of public engagement for climate change policy-making. Evidence suggests care has been taken to ensure events are accessible, inclusive and well-facilitated, and steps are being taken to make further improvements going forward. The importance of the participant experience is emphasised in Millar et al.’s (2025) public engagement evidence review, and it is apparent that Scottish Government has done this well. Respondents to the stakeholder survey noted that they appreciated being involved early on in the policy making process.

The approach taken to delivering the Participate objective has largely been Scottish Government-led, often with support from external organisations to enable the views of target audiences, interest groups, and under-represented voices to inform the development of specific climate policies. Taking such an approach, as Millar et al. (2025) suggest, is more likely to produce outcomes which impact policy-making than deliberative methods with a broader remit and over which the participants arguably have greater ownership.

A clear challenge to this approach is evidencing impact on policy outcomes. Millar et al. (2025) underline the importance of policy makers meaningfully engaging with the outputs and recommendations from participatory activities and explaining to participants how these will be acted upon. It is notable that less than half (45%) of the 67 respondents to the stakeholder survey felt they had had meaningful opportunity to participate in policy development, and many commented negatively on their experience of participation. This included feelings of over-consultation and a lack of clarity on how their participation in the design-stage led to meaningful action by Scottish Government.

There is a need to improve communication about the purpose and outcomes of participation back to participants and the wider public. To achieve the Participate objective of the PES, there is also a need to consider the barriers to maximising impact of public participation on policy outcomes. This includes how far participation exercises are designed to align with and feed into specific stages of policy-making processes.

In their public engagement evidence review, Millar et al. (2025) reflect that participatory and deliberative methods often help to improve participants’ understanding of climate change and increase motivation to take action. While use of these methods has been focused on delivering the Participate objective within the PES, it may be worth considering how they could also be applied to strengthening delivery against the Understand and Act objectives.

Engagement led by representative bodies as trusted messengers has also provided valuable insights on the challenges that climate change could pose to specific groups in society, and in enabling broader participation in policy development, including from people who would be unlikely to engage directly with Government.

Climate Policy Co-design in Action

Another example of stakeholder organisations participating in climate change policy design was provided by a respondent to the stakeholder survey. This involved the co-production of statutory guidance for Public Bodies Climate Change Duties^[5] which the respondent described as:

“a really successful endeavour. Bringing together various public sector bodies in open discussion with Scottish Government has meant shared learning, appreciation of unique sector challenges, opportunities for collaboration”

There is also evidence to suggest the value of a more localised approach to delivering the Participate objective alongside the national programme of activity. As described in more detail in the ‘Act’ section of this report, there is evidence that the Community Climate Action Hubs have played an important role in facilitating connections between community voices and decision-making platforms. Capacity building for participation in local democracy is an area which could be built upon. Many respondents to the stakeholder survey referenced more local engagement, particularly in rural areas, and involving local authorities, third sector, communities and volunteers.

Finally, a commitment within the PES was to deliver a new strategic approach to including children and young people in climate change policy-making. Several respondents to the stakeholder survey mentioned a need for more engagement with young people. While much engagement work has involved hearing from children and young people, including the work with the Children’s Parliament as part of the Climate Assembly and specific policy engagement with the Scottish Youth Parliament and Children’s Parliament, there is work to be done to ensure a strategic approach to this PES commitment as part of the Participate objectives.