Our Scotland, Our Future: Public Engagement Strategy for Climate and Nature - ICIA

Data and Stakeholders

Risks of climate change

The Scottish Islands Data Overview published in December 2023 found that Scotland’s islands have become warmer, and with sea levels projected to rise it could pose a significant risk for the islands in terms of flooding and contamination of freshwater. Consultation on the Environmental Strategy for Scotland, also flagged the impact of extreme weather events on island communities and how climate change is projected to increase the frequency of these extreme weather events.

Demography

The projected percentage change in population by age grouping, based on 2022 census data^[1] shows that Scotland's population will age in every area to 2043. The highest % reduction in children and the working age population is in islands and remote rural areas (- 23% and -15%). The projected percentage change in population is most extreme in island and remote rural areas, where an approximate drop of 19,000 people represents a 12% change between 2018 and 2043. This is an issue because age is a factor which compounds vulnerability to climate change, and health issues that arise from poorer air quality due to a lack of access to green spaces and poor air quality.^[2]

Biodiversity

Engagement on the Environment Strategy for Scotland emphasised the unique biodiversity and habitats of the Scottish islands, including machair, Celtic rainforest and globally important seabird populations.

Energy

Generally, every island local authority has a larger proportion of energy inefficient properties than the Scottish average^[3]. This is likely to result in homes being more expensive to heat and increases the risk of fuel poverty, as well as increasing the use of fossil fuel to heat homes. On the building of renewable energy infrastructure and, due to the close proximity of developments to certain island communities, there may be additional localised opportunities for employment and supply chain benefits.

Language

There were approximately 57,000 Gaelic speakers in Scotland at the time of the 2022 census^[4]. Of these, over half (52.3%) were registered as living in Na h-Eileanan an Iar.

Digital connectivity

While connectivity across islands has improved in recent years, some areas and islands still have issues with the speed and reliability of internet connections^[5]. For example, only 27% of Shetland Outer Isles resident agreed that their internet connection was fast enough, while 66% of Shetland Mainland residents, felt it was fast enough. There was also a significant difference between Orkney Outer Isles (45%) and Orkney Mainland (70%).

Mobile signals also vary, with particularly poor reports^[6] from Orkney Outer Islands of only 27% having a good signal at home, and 29% in the local area.

Previous Engagement

The Fairer Scotland Duty report for the last iteration of the PES highlighted that communications and engagement with remote and rural communities, including island communities, could present challenges that need to be taken into account in development of the strategy to ensure engagement reaches these communities.

The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition to net zero by 2045 and there is ongoing planning to achieve this in line with the Just Transition Planning Framework. This planning is being designed in consultation with groups most affected by the transition to net zero and recognises that those least likely to have contributed to global heating are most likely to be impacted by climate change. A transition to net zero cannot be truly just if there is widespread disadvantage and exposure to climate risk.

As part of the engagement on this planning, consultancy firm ARUP facilitated engagement sessions in summer 2023. ARUP place-based engagement focused on areas most susceptible to impacts of climate change in the rural and island sessions. Outputs suggested the need for understanding place-based issues and geographies at the beginning of policy development rather than as an add-on issue.

Furthermore, as part of engagement on Just Transition covering the built environment, the Poverty Alliance were commissioned by Scottish Government’s Just Transition team to support the engagement of people on low incomes in the development of Scottish Government’s policies to support a just transition to net zero. Participants offered some lived experience of island and rural life and particular challenges faced in terms of skills gaps and difficulty in sourcing materials for adapting homes to a net-zero future.

The Carbon Neutral Islands Project is a Scottish Government commitment that aims to demonstrate the climate-resilience and low carbon potential of islands by 2040. The CNI project will help to deliver key commitments in the National Islands Plan and the National Performance Framework, create island-based jobs, and support islands to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The project aims to align with wider net-zero and decarbonisation efforts and will contribute to the Scottish Government’s statutory target to reach net zero by 2045.

The development of the Environment Strategy for Scotland included a formal consultation, running from 3 July – 29 September 2025. This included consultation on their draft ICIA which has been used to inform this ICIA.

Public Consultation

This refreshed PES builds on the successes and lessons learned from the previous iterations of the Strategy. This has included ongoing discussions and feedback with Islands communities, for example through the Climate Engagement Fund and the Climate Hubs.

There has also been more formal representative engagement undertaken as we have developed the Strategy and Theory of Change. This took the form of 3 online workshops in which Scottish Government officials provided presentations of the overall Strategy and Theory of Change and facilitated conversations to gather views on these and how they can be delivered. The invitation list for this included representation of island communities through the Climate Hubs and Local Authorities.

Engagement will also be a key feature of the development process for the delivery plan for this PES. This ongoing and specific engagement ensures the approach of this PES considers specific needs of communities, particularly islands and rural communities.