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In line with statutory duties, annual reports on climate adaptation are laid in Parliament every May setting out progress made towards implementing climate adaptation objectives, proposals and policies. Twice every 5 years, Ministers also commission the UK Climate Change Committee to provide an independent assessment of progress on adaptation in Scotland.

To strengthen the existing monitoring and evaluation framework for climate adaptation, the Scottish Government has committed to identifying indicators that can assist with more effective monitoring of progress to the outcomes of the next Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3).

In its November 2023 independent assessment of progress on climate adaptation, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommended that the Scottish Government “should set specific and quantified targets for levels of resilience across Scottish society under each outcome” of the next Scottish National Adaptation Plan.

The Scottish Government is considering all recommendations from the CCC on the structure of the next adaptation plan. Public consultation on a draft of the next adaptation plan is anticipated in early-2024 and we have asked the CCC to provide further views at this stage.

In its November 2023 independent assessment of progress on climate adaptation, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommended that the Scottish Government should include “a national assessment of the scale of current and future risks from weather-related cascading infrastructure failures” in the next Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3).

The Scottish Government is considering all recommendations from the CCC on the structure of the next adaptation plan. Public consultation on a draft of the next adaptation plan is anticipated in early-2024 and we have asked the CCC to provide further views at this stage.

The Scottish Government is committed to promoting and advancing Natural Flood Management (NFM) as one of a range of measures to adapt to current and future water-related environmental pressures.

The Scottish Government has provided funding over a number of years to both the Eddleston Water research catchment and Allan Water improvement project to help develop an evidence base to improve understanding of NFM. This evidence helps stakeholders understand its considerable value from a biodiversity perspective, and potential value as a complementary measure to improve flood resilience across catchments. Evidence already produced from these projects have indicated that NFM can help to delay flood peaks, deliver multiple environmental benefits and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Evidence also indicates that flood risk reduction is limited in more extreme events.

The Scottish Government funds the Centre of Expertise on Water (CREW), and the James Hutton Institute to conduct both short and long-term research projects assessing the effectiveness of nature-based flood management solutions.

Our five year Strategic Water Research Programme (2022-2027) is funding the “Achieving Multi-Purpose Nature-Based Solutions” research project which is currently working to explore how to work at scales and across sectors to deliver urban and rural nature-based solutions that make a significant contribution to meeting society’s needs.

The Scottish Government has identified, working with our Peatland ACTION delivery partners, multiple barriers that are preventing it from achieving its peatland restoration targets. These include a lack of skilled project designers, technical advisers and agents to support landowners and managers through restoration projects; operating restrictions during bird breeding seasons and inclement weather; the absence until 2020 of a multi-year funding package which undermined contractor confidence to invest; and a lack of private sector investment at sufficient scale in peatland restoration projects. Significant efforts are underway to address these issues, including substantial work to develop and expand the number of skilled and experienced contractors; developing provisions whereby operations can be carried out safely during bird breeding seasons etc.

Furthermore, the continued growth of Peatland Action since 2020 has increased confidence in multi year funding. This has allowed the wider industry to focus on developing the supporting infrastructure for peatland restoration, particularly with regards to training and developing applicable skills.

It is not the Scottish Government’s role to act as a broker or fundraiser. Instead the Scottish Government is seeking to create the conditions which promote the flow of responsible private investment into nature restoration. Our forthcoming Natural Capital Markets Framework will strengthen our existing Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital and set out our approach to using public spending more effectively to leverage in responsible private capital.

The following table shows private investment in nature restoration efforts in each of the past five years in woodland, peatland and marine and coastal restoration activity:

The Scottish Government has agreed a package of support for people whose homes and businesses were affected by Storm Babet.

Funding is being provided to eligible local authorities to allow them to issue flat rate grants to all households and businesses suffering from the impacts of Storm Babet. The grants will comprise a £1,500 community recovery grant for those whose properties have been flooded, and a £3,000 business recovery grant for businesses, community groups and organisations impacted by flooding. Grants will be administered by eligible local authorities which are those that had an exceptional red warning for rain during October’s storm. Letters offering funding have been issued to Dundee City Council, Angus Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Perth and Kinross Council to enable them to make the grant payments.

We are also providing Angus Council with additional funding of up to £100,000 to help those families who have lost everything to resettle and rebuild their lives. We have also announced funding to help farmers repair floodbanks damaged by the extreme rainfall during October.

The Material Flow Accounts model is being reworked so that its new trade data will be aligned with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland is also exploring the scope for mapping material flows to economic sectors.

As a result of the UK’s departure from the EU, the Material Flow Account model can no longer source its trade data from Eurostat and the model needs to be significantly reworked as its new trade data will not be in alignment with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland has therefore decided to make these methodological changes before reporting results to ensure clear communication of Scotland’s current material consumption.

Zero Waste Scotland will confirm a publication date once the review is complete.

While the Material Flow Accounts are useful for quantifying how much of a resource we are consuming and producing, Zero Waste Scotland has indicated that the current model has a limited degree of granularity in the materials being consumed and it does not explicitly attribute this material consumption or waste generation to individual economic sectors. Zero Waste Scotland is currently exploring the scope for mapping material flows to economic sectors.

The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on national reuse rates in Scotland.