Our climate is changing, and this will affect all of us.
Around the world, communities, businesses and households have already started to experience changes to weather patterns.
In Scotland, over recent decades, we've seen:
- average temperatures increase
- rainfall patterns change
- sea levels rise
- more intense extreme weather events
Scientists have predicted that these trends will continue over the coming decades, and will get significantly worse. This means they'll bring a wide range of challenges to every aspect of our lives, including:
- our homes
- our health
- our economy
- how we travel
- the food we produce
- the things we buy
Why adapting to climate change is important
Adapting to climate change means:
- anticipating the impacts of climate change
- taking action to reduce any threats or make the most of any opportunities that arise
This action is important because we know our climate will continue to change, even if we now see a significant reduction in polluting behaviour. This is because the greenhouse gases that are already in our atmosphere have long lives.
By planning and preparing for this change now, Scotland can:
- build resilience
- be better placed to deal with the negative effects
- take advantage of any opportunities these changes might bring
What the Scottish Government is doing about climate adaptation
In 2019, the Scottish Government launched a 5-year programme to prepare Scotland for the challenges of climate change. This programme addresses the risks identified for Scotland in the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment.
Read the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Adaptation Programme
Read the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Summary for Scotland
Our action on climate adaptation
Climate Ready Stirling
In 2016, we published our first climate change adaptation strategy. Stirling Council is currently reviewing and updating that Strategy. Our first step was to apply Strategic Environmental Assessment to our proposals to determine whether an Environmental Report was required.
Stirling Council Determination and Statement of Reasons.
In the meantime, the 2016 strategy, which is known as Climate Ready Stirling, is split into 2 documents.
Main issues report
This document outlines:
- the evidence for climate change
- the expected changes to our climate
- the likely impacts for Stirling
It also provides evidence that severe weather events are already affecting the Council and its communities, with operational, reputational, financial and legal consequences.
Read the Climate Ready Stirling main issues report
Summary and action plan
This document covers:
- a summary of the main climate adaptation issues
- our plan for tackling these issues
Read the Climate Ready Stirling summary and action plan
Updates and reviews
We're committed to reviewing and updating Climate Ready Stirling as part of our Climate and Nature Emergency Plan.