Scottish National Adaptation Plan Annual Report 2025-2026

Introduction and Context

Statutory framework for adaptation

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets the statutory framework for Scotland’s efforts to adapt to climate change. The legislation requires a five-yearly Adaptation Plan addressing risks from the most recent UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, which in turn is revised by the CCC every five years.

The 2009 Act requires that progress on delivery of each Scottish National Adaptation Plan is to be reported annually to the Scottish Parliament. It also requires that the CCC independently assess Scotland’s delivery record on adaptation two during each five-year cycle.

This is the second annual progress report on SNAP3. Previous annual reports are available on the Scottish Government website for both SNAP3 and the previous two Adaptation Plans.

The next CCC assessment is scheduled to start in this summer and is anticipated to take six months, after which the CCC’s assessment report will be laid in the Scottish Parliament.

Our changing climate

Jointly prepared by the Scottish Government and Met Office

Scotland has already seen significant climatic changes. The average annual temperature has risen by about a degree in the last fifty years and rainfall amounts are increasing, particularly in winter, with more of that rain coming in heavy downpours.

We are experiencing these changes through unprecedented extreme weather events. In recent years Scotland has experienced record high temperatures, setting a new record high temperature of 34.8°C in Charterhall in the Scottish Borders in July 2022 and the UK’s highest January temperature of 19.9°C in Achfary in Sutherland in 2024.

As greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, we will continue to see changes to Scotland’s climate through the 21^st century.

• Temperature Increases: Average annual temperatures in Scotland are projects to exceed + 2.0°C by 2050, compared to temperatures at the beginning of the century, with summer temperatures increasing more than winter.
• Rainfall Patterns: Winters are projected to become wetter by up to 25%, while summers may become drier by up to 20%, increasing the risk of both flooding and drought.
• Sea Level Rise: Coastal areas could see sea levels rise by 20-30cm by 2050, contributing to coastal erosion and flooding.
• Extreme Weather: Scotland is likely to experience more frequent and intense extreme climate events including heatwaves, flash flooding and wildfires, which will challenge infrastructure and public services.

However, Scotland’s weather will continue to be highly variable year-to-year, with colder years still possible, if less frequent.

To better understand how climate change may affect specific areas of Scotland, the Met Office provides the Local Authority Climate Projections.^[1] These projections offer detailed insights into how key climate variables – such as temperature, rainfall and sea level – are likely to change at the local level under different warming scenarios, including a +2°C global temperature rise.

Information about observed changes in climate over the UK can be found in the annual State of the UK Climate report.^[2]

Scotland’s third National Adaptation Plan

SNAP3 is Scotland’s third National Adaptation Plan. It responds to the Third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment and advice of the CCC to help identify the actions needed to make Scotland more resilient to climate change.

The Adaptation Plan was shaped by extensive public engagement, across a 12‑week public consultation on a draft version of SNAP3. Feedback from communities, organisations and stakeholders across Scotland was analysed in full, alongside feedback from advisory bodies like the CCC and the Just Transition Commission, with several key themes directly influencing the final Plan.

What SNAP3 covers

SNAP3 is structured around five outcomes that together set out a long-term vision for a climate‑resilient Scotland. These are described across five chapters covering nature, communities, public services & infrastructure, the economy, and Scotland’s international role.

• The Plan includes 23 delivery objectives
• These are supported by over 200 key policy actions
• Each objective has a lead Scottish Government Directorate responsible for delivery.
• Many policy areas contribute to climate adaptation. To make things as easy to understand as possible, SNAP3 is divided into five outcomes, each outcome is coded to keep the policy and data indicators aligned throughout this document:
  • Nature Connects (NC)
  • Communities (C)
  • Public Services & Infrastructure (PS)
  • Economy, Business & Industry (B)
  • International Action (IA)

Monitoring and reporting progress

Alongside the Plan, the Scottish Government published Scotland’s first national monitoring and evaluation framework for climate adaptation. This meets a key recommendation from the CCC and strengthens transparency and accountability. The 2026 progress report is the second time indicators have been reported on, and is the first time that intended directional indicator trends have been assessed for change from the beginning of the SNAP3 period in 2024.

Progress has also been made towards progressing the policy evaluation elements of the m&e framework. The SNAP3 monitoring and evaluation framework commits to improving how adaptation policies are evaluated across all outcomes. This reflects the need to better understand what is working, what is not, and for whom, and why. Over the past year, an initial review of key SNAP3 policies has identified where evaluation activity is already in place, where it is being developed, and where no evaluation is currently planned. Over the next year, analytical support will be provided to strengthen existing and emerging evaluations, including helping policy teams measure and evidence progress towards adaptation outcomes more clearly in their evaluation activity. Analysts will also work with teams where evaluation is not yet in place, offering guidance on suitable approaches.

Accessing the Adaptation Plan

• Full SNAP3: Scottish National Adaptation Plan
• Children and Young People’s version, explaining what climate adaptation is and how the Scottish Government is taking action, tailored to a younger audience: SNAP3 – Children’s version
• Gaelic language version: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029: Gaelic Child Friendly Version

Scottish Ministers’ assessment of progress

The overall assessment of Scottish Ministers is that the past year has marked a significant step change in the pace, reach and maturity of climate resilience activity across Scotland.

Progress is increasingly characterised not by isolated initiatives, but by the scaling up and scaling out of approaches that are proven to work, reaching more places, more sectors and more organisations, and delivering tangible benefits for people’s daily lives and economic wellbeing.

Over the last 12 months, Scotland has made strong progress in embedding adaptation into everyday decision‑making and strengthening national capability. The number of councils involved in Climate Ready Regions continues to grow; community‑level action is more consistently supported through national networks; public bodies are better equipped to understand and manage climate risk; and businesses are increasingly accessing tailored, sector‑specific guidance. Taken together, these developments show that Scotland’s approach to adaptation is becoming more comprehensive, more coordinated and more delivery‑focused.

This progress is illustrated by the following examples, drawn from across SNAP3 outcomes:

• Climate Ready Regions now cover over 80% of Scotland’s local authorities, bringing more councils into shared regional approaches to flooding, heat, coastal change and water scarcity. This helps communities plan together across administrative boundaries, and collectively identify projects ready for capital-investment to reduce disruption to homes, transport, local economies and essential services.
• Adaptation and climate resilience work at community level is increasingly supported through our national network of Climate Action Hubs, helping local groups access advice, training and small grants. This enables communities to take practical action—such as preparing for heatwaves or flooding—that protects vulnerable neighbours and strengthens local response during extreme weather.
• Public‑sector adaptation capability has scaled up significantly, with 75 public bodies now supported through Adaptation Scotland’s training, tools and tailored advice. This is embedding climate resilience into routine decisions across councils and public bodies, improving capacity to target climate resilience investment into the services people depend on.
• All NHS boards have now completed climate change risk assessments, with most also publishing or implementing adaptation plans for their estates and services. This strengthens the resilience of healthcare and social care systems, helping ensure continuity of care during flooding, heatwaves and severe storms across Scotland.
• New, tailored adaptation guidance for the social care sector is now in use, supporting care providers and practitioners to plan for heat, cold and extreme weather. This improves safety and continuity for people receiving care, while supporting the wellbeing of staff.
• National infrastructure resilience has been strengthened through the Climate Ready Infrastructure Scotland (CRIS) Forum, with over 20 infrastructure owners and operators now formally involved. By working together on shared risks, such as flooding, heat and cascading system failure, this collaboration will help reduce knock‑on impacts that affect transport, energy supply, water services and digital connectivity for households and businesses.
• Following new advice from the Climate Change Committee on the pace and scale of warming, senior leaders from close to 100 public‑sector organisations at CEO and leadership level in December 2025. This national dialogue focused on what must happen now to ensure Scotland’s public services are ready for +2°C by 2050, demonstrating stronger system‑wide leadership and shared ownership of adaptation.
• All three of Scotland’s Enterprise Agencies are now fully engaged in climate resilience training, with over 100 enterprise officers receiving capacity‑building support. This means more businesses—particularly SMEs—are receiving practical advice that helps them reduce climate risk, protect supply chains, avoid costly disruption and invest with confidence.
• Sector‑specific adaptation guidance has been published for climate‑exposed parts of the economy, including whisky, horticulture and wholesale food distribution. This guidance helps businesses manage risks such as water scarcity, extreme heat and supply‑chain disruption, supporting jobs, productivity and long‑term competitiveness.
• Publication of the Trunk Road Adaptation Plan, has provided a clear, evidence‑led framework for addressing flooding, landslides, heat damage and coastal erosion on Scotland’s strategic road network. This reduces disruption to travel, improves reliability for freight and commuters, and helps protect communities reliant on key routes.
• Agricultural adaptation is increasingly embedded through reform and land‑management support, including expanded agri‑environment measures, soil protection, peatland and wetland management, and whole‑farm planning. These actions help farms remain productive under changing weather conditions while reducing flood risk, strengthening water security and supporting rural livelihoods.
• Nature‑based solutions and cross‑sector river catchment approaches are scaling up, bringing together public bodies, farmers and land managers to coordinate action across Scotland’s most important catchments. This improves flood protection, stabilises water supply during drought, lowers river temperatures delivering long‑term resilience benefits for downstream communities and rural economies.
• SEPA has published updated flood risk maps, providing more detailed and accurate information to support planning and household preparedness.
• The Met Office has launched an easy‑to‑use data portal, enabling users to generate projections of future local climate conditions simply by entering their postcode, including what a +2°C climate means for their local authority area.
• The Scottish Government has developed a new national tool modelling projected days of extreme rainfall and extreme heat under future climate scenarios, filling an important gap not addressed by existing products. All of these resources are accessible via adaptation.scot, ensuring that decision‑makers at every level—from households to infrastructure operators—can better understand local climate risk and act early.

These examples, highlight the breadth and scale of activity taking place across policy sectors and stakeholders. Taken together, they demonstrate that Scotland is moving from planning to delivery at pace, with adaptation action reaching further across the country and deeper into the systems people rely on every day. While the scale of future climate impacts means continued acceleration is essential, Ministers consider that the last year shows clear evidence of progress in building a more resilient Scotland—one where communities, public services, businesses and nature are better prepared for a rapidly changing climate.

Next steps

The Scottish Government will continue delivering the commitments outlined in SNAP3 and monitoring progress through the indicators set out in the SNAP3 monitoring and evaluation framework.

Further progress will be reported to Parliament annually, in line with provisions of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. This year, the CCC will also conduct an independent assessment of climate adaptation progress in Scotland. This assessment will start in the summer of 2026 and is scheduled to take six months. On completion the assessment report will be laid in Parliament.