Scotland's Climate Change Plan – 2026-2040 - CRWIA

Consultation and feedback from stakeholders

The draft Climate Change Plan 2026-2040 was laid in Parliament and published on 6 November 2025. This launched a period of public consultation and engagement.

An independent company undertook analysis of the consultation and engagement responses and compiled a report:

• Scotland's draft Climate Change Plan 2026-2040: consultation analysis - gov.scot

The report includes the views of children and young people shared during the engagement events, as well as the views of organisations and individuals on the likely impacts of the Climate Change Plan on children and young people.

Below is a summary of the feedback directly from children and young people during engagement events through the consultation period:

Children and young people noted concerns around:

• the impact of the Climate Change Plan on low-income families, with concerns centred around increased energy costs, job losses, and deepening existing inequalities,
• that there are many cold, damp and overcrowded flats in Scotland,
• public transport accessibility and effectiveness,
• the loss of future career opportunities in the oil and gas sectors, due to the Climate Change Plan, and
• air and water pollution from climate change.

“It feels like the rules hit poor people first.”

“We want climate action, but not if our parents lose jobs and bills go higher.”

“Getting rid of the oil industry could mean thousands of jobs being lost and that’s a lot of people’s livelihoods”

Children and young people offered the following suggestions:

• naming young people in low-income families as priority groups in the Climate Change Plan,
• financial support to combat fuel poverty,
• prioritising the existing cold and damp issues in buildings first through insultation, repairs and heating and when doing so, prioritising work in the poorest homes first,
• subsidising new heating systems and retrofits, with a better understanding of regional differences and the feasibility of mass retrofitting in areas with unique building types,
• the Government should invest in public transport, especially in rural areas, to incentivise reduced car use,
• new job openings will need to be created to mitigate the job closures in the oil and gas sectors,
• funding retraining schemes and apprenticeships, ensuring regeneration and “green improvements” come with protections against displacement;
• prioritising climate education,
• training and support for repair and reuse, including funding for repair hubs, integrating repair skills into education, and enabling community-based initiatives,
• clean and accessible community spaces, and supporting communities and networks for young people who want to take climate action,
• honest and clear communication, including writing the Climate Change Plan in plain English and languages spoken by the local communities,
• cross-party transition plans, and
• setting interim targets in Climate Change Plan and sharing progress against targets more regularly.

“We need better public transport to encourage more people to drive less”

Below is a summary of the feedback received through the consultation period, from organisations and individuals, which directly notes impacts on children and young people:

When asked about which groups or communities would be most affected by the transition to net zero, the majority of respondents believed that the impact of the transition would be negative. However, respondents who identified positive benefits highlighted that children and young people would benefit from reduced climate impacts and living in a healthier environment.

In relation to supporting the transition of the workforce, including skills for jobs, a common theme in responses was the need for more holistic climate education from a young age. Respondents believed this education should focus on climate change and the everyday behavioural skills required to reduce, reuse, and recycle - embedding these practices within Scottish culture. It was noted that public education is not necessarily linked to employment, and that many of the skills and behaviours needed for a just transition to net zero are around day-to-day life, such as behaviour to improve energy efficiency and growing food and cooking.

In relation to supporting communities to participate in the planning of local sustainable infrastructure (such as walking, wheeling and cycling routes), the most frequent theme was the need to proactively communicate and foster collaboration with local communities through regular meetings. Communities should be actively involving in the development of Local Place Plans, and ensuring inclusion and accessibility for all. Examples include holding sessions in schools, community groups, and public forums.

It was noted that well planned education in schools will be key to communicating key messages widely and in harder to reach communities.

2. Further to the evidence described at ‘3’ have you identified any 'gaps' in evidence which may prevent determination of impact? If yes, please provide an explanation of how they will be addressed.

No specific gaps in evidence have been identified at this stage. As noted in section 1, this Child’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment will assess the collective impact of the outcomes, policies and proposals within the Climate Change Plan in a cross-cutting, overarching, strategic way. The development of individual policies and proposals may already have been, or will be if required, subject to individual Child’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments.

3. Analysis of Evidence

The largest cross-cutting positive impact for children as a result of the policies and proposals within the Climate Change Plan is on their health. Every sector that has identified a positive impact on children has identified potential positive impacts in relation to Article 24 (health and health services).

The Transport sector accounts for the largest share of our greenhouse gas emissions, therefore, there are a number of policies and proposals with the aim of reducing emissions. Reducing car use will in turn reduce air pollution and road accidents, leading to a reduction in the number of deaths due to these causes and is likely to diminish infant and child mortality (Article 6 Life, survival and development). In addition, environmental air and noise pollution caused by cars is more likely to impact children from disadvantaged backgrounds who are more likely to suffer from adverse health impacts or compounding on pre-existing health conditions (Article 24 health and health services). By providing free bus travel to those under 22 years old through the Young Persons Scheme, the air quality in towns and cities should improve as a result of reducing car journeys, and encouraging embedding this mode of transport for young people should positively impact on health. Promoting a modal shift in moving freight/goods from the road network onto rail or water will also reduce emissions.

Within the Buildings (Residential and Public) sector, changes in heating could see potential health benefits for families. Healthier home conditions could be created by reducing cold and damp living conditions through improvements to energy efficiency for example, through improved insultation. The move to clean heat will also enhance overall air quality with longer term health benefits and greater environmental protection. Warmer, cleaner and more consistent indoor temperatures would create a safe and stable living environment, and support the child’s development, sleep and wellbeing in the long term.

Within the Waste sector, there is the potential for a reduction in environmental pollution through the transition to more sustainable resource use and a circular economy, including less waste going to landfill or incineration, which may avoid adverse impacts on health, including through improved air quality. Although the deposit return scheme policy does not have a direct impact on children’s rights, once the scheme is implemented and operational, it may contribute indirectly in ensuring cleaner environments through a reduction in litter, which would promote better health and safer play spaces.

Within the Energy Supply sector, improvements to air quality will likely be seen to those who live close to Energy from Waste sites, and those located near to fossil fuel generation sites such as those in island communities located near diesel generators and those living near Peterhead power station. Shifting from fossil fuel to renewable energy will likely have benefits as a result of improved air quality and may particularly benefit children who have increased health risks from exposure to poor air quality.

Within the Business and Industrial Processes sector, while no significant direct impacts are identified for children, the long term environmental impacts through the reduction of emissions through energy efficiency measures, the deployment of new technologies like Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and Negative Emissions Technology (NETS) or fuel-switching will contribute to and support a more sustainable, green and prosperous future for children and young people.

Within the Agriculture sector, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in carbon sequestration and nature restoration will help to improve national and local biodiversity, air, soil and water quality. This would indirectly benefit current and future generations of children and young people by improving their environment and supporting better health and welfare. In addition, building a sustainable food production sector for future generations while continuing to offer high-quality produce for consumption would result in improved health and wellbeing for children and young people.

Positive impacts on Article 27 (adequate standard of living) are also prominent across the Climate Change Plan, with some links to this Article included in the points above. Further impacts on Article 27 are noted below.

Within the Transport sector, attracting private investment in zero emission transport infrastructure and investing in critical workforce skills fosters a sustainable and inclusive economy. The aim to grow the public electric vehicle charging network by enabling private sector investment supporting job creation.

Within the Buildings (Residential and Public) sector, improving the energy efficiency of homes will lower energy demand, thereby reducing household energy costs whilst improving household conditions. Targeted support for families at risk of fuel poverty will ensure the living standard for children from the poorest backgrounds is prioritised.

Within the Waste sector, measures influencing accessibility to affordable and high-quality goods and services may also have a positive impact for families with children, through normalising second-hand and reused goods across society. These policies, alongside measures to help households reduce food waste, have the potential to save families money. Measures to embed circular construction practices have the potential to help ensure an adequate standard of living necessary for a child’s development.

Within the Energy Supply sector, a shift from costly fossil fuel electricity generation to cheaper renewable generation could result in lower electricity prices, reducing the number of children living in fuel poverty. In addition, further investment in renewable energy including onshore windfarms, may bring improvements to recreational site and cycling and walking tracks nearby, benefitting communities and children.

In the Business and the Industrial sector, the use of carbon pricing to incentivise emissions reductions through the UK emissions trading scheme will help support a more sustainable, green and prosperous future for children and young people and the development of new technologies will offer long-term employment opportunities to future workforces. The use of carbon pricing to incentivise emissions reductions through the UK emissions trading scheme may change industrial costs, impacting energy prices and industrial products which may affect household budgets. The development of lower carbon products may also affect household budgets as prices could vary – potentially increasing in the short term before decreasing in the long term.

Positive impacts on Article 29 (goals of education) may also be seen. Within the Agriculture sector, accessing the knowledge and guidance currently available as well as seeing current on-farm implementation of low carbon practices may positively benefit children and young people. Within the waste sector, there may be opportunities to support a greater uptake of green skills, training, and development opportunities, ensuring circular economy concepts are embedded across the whole education and skills landscape, and reinforced with tangible examples of sustainable resource behaviours in society. The Deposit Return Scheme will serve as a valuable educational tool, teaching children about recycling, environmental stewardship, and sustainability. Early exposure to these concepts cultivates a lifelong sense of responsibility toward the environment.

4. What changes (if any) have been made to the proposal as a result of this assessment?

Since publication of the draft Climate Change Plan in November 2025, individuals and organisations across Scotland have offered feedback on its vision, policies and proposals. This feedback has strengthened the final Plan. It has improved our understanding of how Scotland can continue to reduce emissions, grow the economy and deliver co-benefits, including warmer homes and more connected communities.

The final Climate Change Plan provides further detail on the approach to delivery of the policies and proposals that sit within it, and details how these will be monitored and assessed. This commitment will be underpinned by a bolstered monitoring and evaluation approach to track delivery. Where appropriate, sector policy packages have been updated to incorporate feedback on how they can be improved or implemented more effectively, which have fed through to whole plan assessments of costs, benefits and emissions.

Specific to the feedback provided by children during the consultation period, some of the concerns raised and suggestions offered are already included within the Climate Change Plan.

Concerns were noted with cold and damp homes and fuel poverty, with particular focus on the impacts of these on low-income families. The existing outcomes, policies and proposals within the Buildings (Residential and Public) sector outline how we will decarbonise buildings through changing energy systems and how we will improve energy efficiency, with targeted support for those most at risk of fuel poverty.

Concerns were raised around public transport accessibility and effectiveness. The Climate Change Plan notes that children and young people under 22 years of age can access free bus travel through the National Travel Concessionary Schemes and that funding and improvements to bus infrastructure should make it easier to access bus services and improve integration between bus and other modes of transport.

Concerns were raised through the loss of future career opportunities in the oil and gas sector. The outcomes, policies and proposals with the Business and Industrial Process sector note that the development of new technologies will offer long-term employment to future workforces and provide access to the development of new green skills.

In relation to providing clear communications, writing the Climate Change Plan in plain English and in languages spoken by local communities, we have published a Children’s version of the Climate Change Plan, which has been updated since publishing alongside the draft Climate Change Plan to include further detail, along with publishing an Easy Read version. The use of visuals and more simplified language may appeal to a range of communities across Scotland, including those whose primary language is not English. In addition, both the Children’s version and Easy Read are available in Gaelic.

Other feedback received, including prioritising climate education, integrating repair skills into education and enabling community-based initiatives, will be considered in further work to deliver the Climate Change Plan.

A full Child’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment has been published alongside the final Climate Change Plan. Individual review of the impacts of the policies and proposals included within the Climate Change Plan will continue as required upon further development or amendment of the policies and proposals, with appropriate impact assessments taken forward where this is necessary.

5. As a result of the evidence gathered and analysed against all UNCRC requirements, what is the potential overall impact of this proposal on children’s rights?

Applicable answer: Positive impact.

The impacts between the outcomes, policies and proposals within the Climate Change Plan on the articles of the UNCRC are positive. No negative impacts have been identified.

6. If you have identified a positive impact on children’s rights, please describe below how the proposal will protect, respect, and fulfil children’s rights in Scotland.

Scotland has a target date for reaching net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045. A key action for the policies and proposals within the Climate Change Plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the largest negative impacts of greenhouse gas emissions is on health, and therefore the actions within the Climate Change Plan, to reach net zero emissions, positively impacts on the population of Scotland, including children and young people. Other positive impacts surround the standard of living and goals of education.

From the outcomes, policies and proposals within the Climate Change Plan, we would expect that children and young people today, and in future generation, will benefit from a range of changes that will positively impact on their health, standard of living and education. This includes changes in the environment they will live in and the energy that is used within their homes, how they will travel, how their food is produced, how they will dispose of waste and the types of skills and jobs they may have in their future.

7. If a negative impact has been identified please describe below. Is there a risk this could potentially amount to an incompatibility?

No negative impacts have been identified.

8. As a result of the evidence gathered and analysed against all wellbeing indicators, will the proposal contribute to the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland?

Applicable answer: Yes

While in most sectors impacts to children’s wellbeing are not applicable, within Transport and Waste there is evidence which suggests that the actions and policies contained with the Climate Change Plan will be advantageous to children. This applies to the following wellbeing indicators: ‘Safe’, ‘Healthy’, ‘Achieving’, ‘Responsible’, ‘Active’ and ‘Included’:

• Safe - Waste and circular economy policies can indirectly help create safe environments by reducing environmental hazards such as litter, pollution and illegally dumping of waste, which improves the safety of neighbourhoods and public spaces. Cleaner environments reduce risks from materials such as sharp objects, or hazardous waste, while improved systems for safe disposal of materials like electricals and batteries minimise risk in domestic and community settings. These measures create safer places for children to live, learn and play. The money saved through reduced cleanup costs may be reinvested into community services that benefit children, such as schools, parks, and recreational facilities. For transport policies, if a reduction in private vehicle use among the general population occurs as a consequence of an uptake in active travel, this could lead to improved road safety for children and young people. Active travel and/or bus infrastructure measures by their design improve safety or all users. There are a number of interventions delivered within active travel behaviour change programmes, such as cycle skills training that embeds road safety awareness for school children, that contribute to improved safety measures and would also reduce road and personal safety concerns for active travel users, including children who account for 44% of all pedestrian casualties.
• Healthy - Measures across the Waste chapter, particularly under the reduce and reuse outcome, have the potential to reduce environmental pollution and improve health and wellbeing, for example through avoidance of adverse impacts on air quality as well as nuisance and odour levels; through helping to ensure an adequate standard of living by cutting food waste. Evidence suggests that there are likely tangible public health benefits associated with a shift to circular economy approaches. A recent report from Public Health Wales outlined some of the probable and long-term health benefits associated with a circular economy through delivering waste reduction, reuse and recycling actions. Cleaner streets and green spaces created through effective waste systems contribute to better physical and mental wellbeing, while efforts to cut carbon emissions help protect long-term population health. The measures outlined in the Transport chapter have the potential to improve health outcomes for children by reducing environmental pollution caused by cars. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are statistically more likely to have poorer levels of health and wellbeing and more likely to suffer from the adverse health impacts of car use, including air and noise pollution, which can compound pre-existing ill health, as well as from injury due to road danger.
• Achieving – Complementing the policies and proposals in the Waste sector package, our Circular Economy and Waste Route Map and Circular Economy Strategy recognise that skills and education are vital to increasing the uptake of circular practices, with work across government and with relevant stakeholders to ensure circular skills are embedded within the programme of reform for our education and skills system.
• Responsible - Waste and circular economy approaches can help children and young people develop a sense of responsibility by encouraging responsible consumption, reuse, recycling and care for shared resources. For example, participating in reuse initiatives, repair activities or community/school environmental initiatives can contribute to increased awareness of sustainable resource use, environmental impacts, and more active and responsible roles at home, in school and in the community. As an example, the Deposit Return Scheme may serve as a valuable educational tool, teaching children about recycling, environmental stewardship, and sustainability. Early exposure to these concepts cultivates a lifelong sense of responsibility toward the environment.
• Active - An increase in active travel amongst children and young people may additionally lead to improvements in health from increased physical exercise and contribute to a reduction in child obesity rates.
• Included - Waste policies may contribute positively to overcome inequalities and support greater inclusion for children. For example, measures influencing accessibility to affordable goods/services, and accessibility to high-quality goods/services. The development and introduction of some measures which would increase the access to affordable goods via secondary markets may have the benefit of normalising second-hand and reused goods, and the socio-cultural complexities around using second-hand or reusable goods should be considered when developing relevant interventions. Community reuse hubs, repair cafés and environmental projects can encourage participation from diverse groups across communities. Across all measures, consideration of the need to provide accessible and inclusive communications is also key to ensure inequalities are tackled. For example, on any changes to recycling collections, new householder duties or any enforcement action (e.g. within Outcome 3: Modernise recycling package). For Transport, by providing free bus travel we are seeking to encourage Scotland’s younger generations to use low-emission and lower carbon public transport with a view to embedding that behaviour from a young age. Potential effects of the scheme, in addition to the other benefits outlined above for utilising public transport, are the promotion of social inclusion (by improving access to education, healthcare, training and employment etc.)

9. How will you communicate to children and young people the impact that the proposal will have on their rights?

Alongside publication of the draft Climate Change Plan on 6 November 2025, we published a Children’s version of the Climate Change Plan and an Initial Children’s Rights Consideration Document.

During the consultation period for the draft Climate Change Plan, we engaged with children and those representing children to gather views and take on board feedback of the draft publications.

We have updated the Children’s version of the Climate Change Plan and published this alongside the final Climate Change Plan. In addition, this full Child’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment has been undertaken, and includes details of the feedback received during the consultation period. This has been published on the gov.scot website alongside the final plan and in so far as possible has been written in accessible language so that readers can understand its content and the impacts as assessed against the UNCRC requirements. We do not intend to publish a child-friendly Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment however the Children’s version of the Climate Change Plan itself includes reference to children’s rights.