Scotland's Climate Change Plan 2026-2040: strategic environmental assessment

3. Integration of Environmental Considerations

3.1.1 This section explains how key environmental considerations were identified and how these were taken into account when developing and finalising the CCP.

3.1.2 The CCP builds on the previous CCP and subsequent update (CCP Update), produced in 2018 and updated in 2020 to recognise the potential role the CCP Update could play in supporting a green and resilient recovery from Covid-19, whilst achieving the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets.^[16] Both the 2018 CCP and the CCP Update were supported by SEA Environmental Reports^{[17], [18]} which have been taken into account where relevant in undertaking this SEA. In addition, many of the policies and proposals for inclusion in the Waste sector package are also actions from Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, published in 2024, and have been subject to SEA during its development. Some policies and proposals covered within the CCP are also included in the Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland, and have been subject to a SEA.

3.1.3 The CCP is primarily concerned with setting out the policies and proposals which that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to meet Scotland’s carbon budgets, however, it is also concerned with the maintenance and improvement of Scotland’s environment and biodiversity.

3.1.4 The Scoping Report undertaken as part of the CCP SEA process considered that all environmental topics should be scoped into the assessment due to the potential for effects to occur across all topics. This Environmental Report therefore considered the following SEA topics, and their inter-relationships:

• Air,
• Biodiversity, flora and fauna,
• Climatic factors,
• Cultural heritage,
• Landscape and geodiversity,
• Material assets,
• Population and Human Health,
• Soil, and
• Water.