Climate Change Plan: third report on proposals and policies 2018-2032 (RPP3) - summary

5. Adapting to Climate Change

The Climate Change Plan lays out our plans for meeting Scotland’s emissions reductions targets; it is not a plan for adapting to the changing climate. However, climate change is already affecting Scotland. Many of Scotland’s iconic industries, such as forestry, fisheries and whisky, rely on climate-sensitive natural resources. Sea level rise and changes in weather patterns will test our transport, communications, fuel, and energy networks and challenge the delivery of health and social care services. Biodiversity and ecosystems are also at risk.

All countries must plan for and take action on adaptation. Our progress in Scotland is set out in the fourth annual review of the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme, which was laid in Parliament on 31 May 2018. We will continue to strengthen our adaptation to climate change in the years and decades ahead, working with partners across sectors on the priorities for the Second Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme, which is currently under development and will be published in 2019.