Hansard

We have robust evidence for global warming, as colleagues have already said, but there are still many unknowns and variables involved in predicting exactly how our climate will change as a result.

There is always a temptation to hope for the best when developing policy, but that must be coupled with planning and preparation for all possible climate change scenarios. From dealing with long-term changes in agriculture and energy to building sustainability into our economy and coping with the changing nature and frequency of extreme weather events, our policies for climate change adaptation must be capable of addressing all the challenges that we face.

For example, our assumptions about sea level rises might need to be reassessed following recent work by the University of Glasgow. Previously, it was thought that much of Scotland’s land was rising faster than the sea around it. Recent studies suggest that that effect is now fading, which means that our coastal areas will be more exposed to the consequences of climate change than we thought.

The most attractive adaptations are often those that deliver other benefits for households and businesses—mainly financial, to be fair. Although those might have long-term value, even without climate change, sometimes the benefits can take many years to outstrip costs, which is a big barrier to their adoption.

The Scottish Government and public bodies need to do a lot more to encourage and facilitate such changes. As a result of Labour amendments to the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, they have a public duty to do that and more. One route for promoting better adaptation is through procurement. Public bodies should be doing a lot more to include climate change considerations in their procurement policies and ensure that the climate change consequences of public sector contracts are fully assessed with respect to the activities of not only public bodies but their contractors.

There are also great ways of combining adaptation with health initiatives. Food that is sourced directly from local production not only is fresher but travels fewer miles, which is good news for emissions reductions. Now in its seventh year, the Fife diet project is an excellent example of the important role that local food systems can play. The project has adopted a collaborative approach to the development of community food, in terms of its potential for improving health, affordability and sustainability. It is a fantastic project that is making a real difference, and we need more like it across Scotland.

Big business also needs to buy in to localised distribution to a far greater extent. How often does locally produced food travel hundreds of miles on a round trip in order to find its way back to local stores? It is also vital that the private sector’s role is developed alongside the role of the public and third sectors. As Angus MacDonald said, small and medium-sized enterprises have a crucial role to play in that regard. They are often locally based, serving local markets, and there is much more that they could be doing to reduce carbon footprints and to contribute to adaptation. However, they lack resources, and we need to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge and the incentives to incorporate climate change action into their activities.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 was passed with great fanfare—rightly so, as it was globally ground-breaking legislation. Unfortunately, however, we have struggled to match its ambition with action. It is especially disappointing that Scotland has failed to meet our emissions targets in each of the past two years. I would welcome the minister’s comments on how we are going to address that.

The document that we are discussing contains many worthwhile proposals but, as ever, good intentions will not be sufficient. It is absolutely essential that Scotland has an effective adaptation programme. We have a moral responsibility to take every action possible to mitigate the impact of climate change in Scotland and across the world. We have a duty to our children, to their children and to their children’s children.

Climate change is the most important and most challenging issue that we will ever face. The bottom line is that we must not only promise radical action but also commit the time, money and resources that are needed to achieve that action.

The minister’s letter responding to the committee’s points was encouraging, and I therefore hope that the Scottish Government will strongly consider the committee’s recommendations on how the draft programme can be strengthened and will include our recommendations in the final programme.

16:29