Hansard

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 change a light bulb? None—the light bulb has to be willing to change itself. Of course, it should now be an energy-saving light bulb. Change and adaptation are central to meeting the challenges of our changing climate.

The Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee recently scrutinised the Scottish Government’s draft Scottish climate change adaptation programme. We heard evidence from stakeholders and from the minister, and we wrote to the minister setting out our views and recommendations to inform the final adaptation programme. The committee thanks the minister for his prompt and detailed response, which enables us all to consider that in this afternoon’s debate. The committee fully agrees with the minister that the long-term sustainability of Scotland in a changing climate is the responsibility of each and every one of us. As Morag Watson reminded us in a behaviour change session last September,

“when people are given the time and space to talk through certain things all sorts of issues come to the fore.”

Culture change is possible.

The extreme weather that we have experienced over the last few weeks also reminds us of the urgency of a change of outlook. Can the minister confirm that planning for a changing climate is being comprehensively embedded into Scottish Government policies? The Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee’s work programme will focus our scrutiny of the forthcoming draft third national planning framework on how it will help to deliver Scotland’s climate change adaptation programme. The committee is pleased to hear that the minister is soon to write to the adaptation sub-committee of the Committee on Climate Change to formally request that it carry out the first independent assessment of the programme in Scotland, and we look forward to seeing that report.

Further clarity is needed across all three adaptation programme themes with regard to project timescales, budgets and responsibility for development and implementation. Stakeholders want clarity on whether project finance is secure or is still required, on which is the lead organisation of implementation and, when a project is set to extend beyond the five-year lifespan of the programme, on how its progress will be monitored. The committee strongly agrees that a longer-term view would significantly aid the building of Scotland’s resilience. Will the minister consider how that can best be achieved in the final strategy?

The committee reiterates our appreciation of the vital work of our emergency and volunteer services in responding to extreme weather events. We would be interested to hear from the minister what lessons have been learned to inform the final programme. Evidence mounts on the risks that our infrastructure and built environment face from flooding, landslips and high winds. Also, our transport networks and energy, information and communication technology are situated in strategic corridors and can be vulnerable. Compromises on the speed and effectiveness of emergency responses could impact on the continuity of businesses, health boards and local authorities; indeed, they could affect the fundamental resilience of local communities.

We recommended that the final programme be strengthened to set out how the planning process could be used to embed climate change adaptation—for example, on the siting of new developments and infrastructure, particularly in housing, renewable energy and rural broadband roll-outs. The RACCE committee will inquire into how the planning process takes climate change issues into account in its forthcoming scrutiny of NPF3.

The importance of Scotland’s key economic sectors—food, drink, tourism and energy—and their value to our economy are well known. All are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, not only here in Scotland but at an international level, which affect supply chains. Our final programme must line up with the adaptation plans of other countries to protect supply chains for our businesses, including airports and telecoms. That will require international negotiation and discussion of the sort that our minister engaged in at the Doha round and later on the Kyoto protocols et cetera. It is essential that we make contact with other countries in which parts of our supply chains lie.

We welcome the minister’s assurance on how the travel information and flood and weather alerts that are provided by traffic Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, local authorities and the emergency services are being shared through the internet, social media and radio. That must continue to be improved and developed to serve our communities.

Especially in agriculture and seafood, smaller local businesses with shorter supply chains are of profound importance to Scotland. We agree that more attention should be focused on supporting smaller businesses to adapt to changes in the climate. We were pleased to note that the minister recognises that, and we welcome his confirmation that the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill will help small and medium-sized businesses to meet some of those changes.

The committee shares the strong concerns of stakeholders in the agriculture sector, for whom the negative impacts of climate change are very real. Growing seasons have changed, and farmers have already had to adapt what they grow. Farmers seem willing to make the changes, but there is a lack of knowledge transfer and they say that practical guidance and financial incentives are needed. I question whether those will be available. Forestry faces the biggest challenges through the loss of confidence in making resilient decisions, which is a result of the uncertain long-term effects of climate change and the invasive diseases that have been brought to our country.

The committee recommended that financial incentives, such as those in the new Scotland rural development programme and the common agricultural policy, be made user friendly and adaptable and that, wherever possible, they should have multiple benefits that help to deliver climate change adaptation and to improve biodiversity. The final programme should support people who are involved in making longer-term decisions. We are pleased that the minister has ensured that policies on land use that provide multiple benefits for our natural environment will be reflected in the final programme.

The committee was concerned to hear that 18 per cent of our coastline is highly susceptible to erosion. From that, coupled with the continuing rise in sea levels, it is clear that our coastal communities face significant risk. Regarding their protection, we need the minister to tell us whether the recent events have highlighted the need to accelerate that work. The statement that he made last week was helpful in letting us know that many people share our concerns on the matter. The committee heard about the new flood warning scheme that SEPA is operating. Can the minister tell us how effective that has been over the past few weeks?

In its letter to the minister, the committee sought an update on how the Scottish Government would prioritise investment in flood risk management. The minister confirmed in his response that the process would take place over the course of 2014 and that an update would be available towards the end of the year. Is the minister able to say whether the Scottish Government is still working to the same timetable or whether the events of the past few weeks have shown that the work requires to be accelerated? Many of my colleagues may wish to speak in the debate on some of the flooding issues.

We are pleased that the minister believes that more targeted support may be required for the most vulnerable in society, because equalities issues must be considered in the matter of climate change. People can be very vulnerable indeed because of climate change, not just in very shallow islands in the Pacific but right here in the heart of our cities. We must provide guidance to help them. Can the minister tell us more about how that will be taken forward, because we consider that social justice is part of climate change?

I hope that today’s debate will help to inform the final programme.

I move,

That the Parliament welcomes the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee’s response to the Scottish Government’s draft climate change adaptation programme.