Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 14 January 2014
14 Jan 2014 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Draft Climate Change Adaptation Programme
I stress that a thread running through the adaptation programme is the value of interconnections and partnerships, showing the need for clear paths of communication. Making the programme mechanisms clearer will surely help to make that thread stronger.
Multiple benefits are also a win-win. In the agriculture and forestry section of our letter to the minister we state:
“The Committee recommends that the Minister undertakes an evaluation of the extent to which the SRDP has delivered multiple benefits, for example for biodiversity and for climate change adaptation.”
Alex Fergusson stressed that evidence showed that farmers are struggling to keep pace. In his letter to the committee, in relation to farming for a better climate and future proofing Scotland’s farming, the minister states:
“One of the key objectives of these programmes is to raise awareness”.
I argue that it is important to raise awareness across all the sectors with regard to climate adaption.
The committee heard interesting evidence on agroforestry, and I am pleased that the minister acknowledges in his letter that that will play a part in the future of SRDP.
I was very pleased to hear both Rob Gibson and Alex Fergusson mention marine issues. Indeed, the committee welcomed
“clarification from the Minister that the assessment of the risk of coastal erosion is an area that is actively being considered by the Scottish Government”.
It would be helpful to hear more about that as soon as possible.
A lot of research into marine climate change issues is at its early stages, as has been emphasised on other occasions at our committee. It is essential in relation to the rapidly developing aquaculture industry and sustainable fisheries that climate change research is well funded for Marine Scotland, which works with other partners such as the marine alliance for science and technology for Scotland. Research funding will be essential in and across all sectors, building on new partnerships, if we are to use science-based evidence in our approach to climate change adaptation.
Angus MacDonald emphasised the need for leadership. The public sector climate leaders forum, on which I serve for the committee, will be essential in that regard, but we are all leaders, in the Scottish Parliament and in our communities.
Sarah Boyack explored the importance of local government engagement and the implications for the planning system. According to the analysis of the consultation responses,
“Local authorities ... thought that their role in the delivery of the Programme was missing or understated.”
Will the minister look again at the issue?
Cara Hilton drew our attention to the necessity of businesses adopting the programme and considered food issues. The committee heard from Nourish Scotland about the need for shorter and regionally integrated food supply chains. Will the minister say today how work in that regard might be taken forward on a Scotland-wide basis?
Many of the recommendations highlight how essential the localisation of resilience is. Communities are at the heart of the way forward, although Patrick Harvie was right to say that further analysis of global changes is essential and is missing from the programme.
We need robust structures, and perhaps most important is the social justice dimension, which Rob Gibson mentioned. The committee heard stark evidence about the concerns of vulnerable island communities, challenged urban communities and households on low incomes.
Jim Hume asked about relevance: how relevant can the issues be to people who are struggling from day to day? How will the Scottish ministers ensure that the adaptation Scotland and climate challenge funds—and other bodies—engage with the communities that are most in need of support, in the context of flooding emergencies and longer-term resilience?
Our committee welcomes the minister’s comment in his letter that the Government is considering how it can better understand the equalities impact of climate change, but we are keen for him to give information on equalities issues in his closing speech.
16:42
Multiple benefits are also a win-win. In the agriculture and forestry section of our letter to the minister we state:
“The Committee recommends that the Minister undertakes an evaluation of the extent to which the SRDP has delivered multiple benefits, for example for biodiversity and for climate change adaptation.”
Alex Fergusson stressed that evidence showed that farmers are struggling to keep pace. In his letter to the committee, in relation to farming for a better climate and future proofing Scotland’s farming, the minister states:
“One of the key objectives of these programmes is to raise awareness”.
I argue that it is important to raise awareness across all the sectors with regard to climate adaption.
The committee heard interesting evidence on agroforestry, and I am pleased that the minister acknowledges in his letter that that will play a part in the future of SRDP.
I was very pleased to hear both Rob Gibson and Alex Fergusson mention marine issues. Indeed, the committee welcomed
“clarification from the Minister that the assessment of the risk of coastal erosion is an area that is actively being considered by the Scottish Government”.
It would be helpful to hear more about that as soon as possible.
A lot of research into marine climate change issues is at its early stages, as has been emphasised on other occasions at our committee. It is essential in relation to the rapidly developing aquaculture industry and sustainable fisheries that climate change research is well funded for Marine Scotland, which works with other partners such as the marine alliance for science and technology for Scotland. Research funding will be essential in and across all sectors, building on new partnerships, if we are to use science-based evidence in our approach to climate change adaptation.
Angus MacDonald emphasised the need for leadership. The public sector climate leaders forum, on which I serve for the committee, will be essential in that regard, but we are all leaders, in the Scottish Parliament and in our communities.
Sarah Boyack explored the importance of local government engagement and the implications for the planning system. According to the analysis of the consultation responses,
“Local authorities ... thought that their role in the delivery of the Programme was missing or understated.”
Will the minister look again at the issue?
Cara Hilton drew our attention to the necessity of businesses adopting the programme and considered food issues. The committee heard from Nourish Scotland about the need for shorter and regionally integrated food supply chains. Will the minister say today how work in that regard might be taken forward on a Scotland-wide basis?
Many of the recommendations highlight how essential the localisation of resilience is. Communities are at the heart of the way forward, although Patrick Harvie was right to say that further analysis of global changes is essential and is missing from the programme.
We need robust structures, and perhaps most important is the social justice dimension, which Rob Gibson mentioned. The committee heard stark evidence about the concerns of vulnerable island communities, challenged urban communities and households on low incomes.
Jim Hume asked about relevance: how relevant can the issues be to people who are struggling from day to day? How will the Scottish ministers ensure that the adaptation Scotland and climate challenge funds—and other bodies—engage with the communities that are most in need of support, in the context of flooding emergencies and longer-term resilience?
Our committee welcomes the minister’s comment in his letter that the Government is considering how it can better understand the equalities impact of climate change, but we are keen for him to give information on equalities issues in his closing speech.
16:42
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-08732, in the name of Rob Gibson, on the Scottish Government’s consultation on its draft climate change a...
Rob Gibson (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
Presiding Officer, I crave your indulgence as I try to get all the detail in.Change and adaptation are rarely easy. How many psychiatrists does it take to ch...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I remind members who wish to speak in the debate that they should press their request-to-speak buttons. I call Paul Wheelhouse. Minister, you have seven minu...
The Minister for Environment and Climate Change (Paul Wheelhouse)
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer.I thank the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee for its efforts in scrutinising the draft Scottish climate c...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Minister, will you draw to a close, please?
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I will, Presiding Officer.I hope to pick up on some additional points in my closing speech. Suffice it to say that Scotland is well placed to respond to clim...
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
This committee debate is extremely important and timely as it comes in the immediate aftermath of the recent severe weather and flooding. They focused all ou...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
Can you draw to a close, please?
Claudia Beamish
Lab
That chimes with some of the committee’s recommendations. I ask the minister to take forward those fundamental governance issues in the final adaptation prog...
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
I am not a great fan of the phrase “adopting a holistic approach”, but one thing is for sure: if climate change adaptation is to be successfully mainstreamed...
Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
I say at the outset that I am pleased to contribute to the debate. It is an important issue that requires the attention of all parliamentarians and all commi...
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the committee and witnesses for their work in getting us to this debate today.I want to focus on the processes and principles of adaptation in relati...
Nigel Don (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
SNP
I hardly need to point out in the early part of 2014 that climate change is with us. We have clearly reached the point where it does not matter why it is hap...
Nigel Don
SNP
Yes; that is long overdue. We cannot do things with land without maps, so I am delighted to hear that we have got that far. I must take issue with what has b...
Jim Hume (South Scotland) (LD)
LD
Like many other members, I was proud to put through the Parliament the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill back in 2009. Although at the time there were differenc...
Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the debate, and I thank the committee for bringing it to the chamber and for the work that it has done in assessing the draft climate change adapta...
Cara Hilton (Dunfermline) (Lab)
Lab
We have robust evidence for global warming, as colleagues have already said, but there are still many unknowns and variables involved in predicting exactly h...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
It is probably fair to say that climate change adaptation often plays second fiddle to the mitigation agenda and the urgent need to reduce our emissions. Tha...
Alex Fergusson
Con
The debate has seen a fair amount of consensus throughout the chamber, which is very much as it should be in a debate of this nature. Climate change presents...
Claudia Beamish
Lab
I stress that a thread running through the adaptation programme is the value of interconnections and partnerships, showing the need for clear paths of commun...
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I thank members. I agree with Alex Fergusson that the debate has been consensual. It has been rightly so, because we are talking about a matter that cuts acr...
Alex Fergusson
Con
Do targets have a role to play in monitoring and evaluation?
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I think that they do. Nigel Don made valid points about that. It is important to have a focus that drives effort, and the maxim about what is measured being ...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP)
SNP
My preparing for the debate prompted me to re-read in detail the evidence on the draft programme that was given during two stakeholder meetings that were hel...
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I thank the deputy convener for taking an intervention and I apologise for interrupting. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 specified a five-year time ho...
Graeme Dey
SNP
I thank the minister for that input. We are aware that they are five-year programmes, but there is a general point that we must look as far beyond that timef...
Sarah Boyack
Lab
Graeme Dey has made an extremely useful point about the capacity of institutions to provide practical examples of what we can all do. Institutions such as co...
Graeme Dey
SNP
Sarah Boyack has made a very good point. I do not think that there is anything that I can add to that.There is so much more that can be done, as Sarah Boyack...