ADAPTING OUR WAYS MANAGING SCOTLAND’S CLIMATE RISK Scottish Government Consultation on Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework Response by the Church of Scotland Introduction 1. The Church of Scotland welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Scottish Government’s proposals for adapting to climate change. Our response to this consultation follows our response to the Scottish Government’s proposal for a Scottish Climate Change Bill and is driven by the same ethical concerns. The Church of Scotland is concerned that climate change poses a serious and immediate threat to people everywhere, particularly to the poor of the earth; and that climate change represents a failure in our stewardship of God’s creation. We accept the need to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases urgently to avoid dangerous and irreversible climate change; and to promote a more equitable and sustainable use of energy.1 2. The main purpose of the proposed Climate Change Bill is to set out a framework to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in Scotland, whereas the Adaptation Framework has a different purpose. It assumes that climate change will take place and that we have to respond to it by adapting how we live and work in Scotland. The two are closely related. Awareness of climate change and its significance for people in Scotland and for people elsewhere is important for both mitigation and adaptation; as is the importance of making a response. We cannot ignore the importance of climate change and have to be aware of both its causes and its consequences; and we have to respond effectively. Climate Change and the Church of Scotland: An ethical issue 3. The Church of Scotland has established a project entitled Responding to Climate Change. The project is driven by our concerns about climate change which can be summarised by three points. * Climate change represents a massive failure in our stewardship of the earth. Whether through ignorance or greed we have unthinkingly consumed billions of tons of the earth’s resources of carbon and returned them to the atmosphere. We are now aware of the potentially disastrous consequences of what we have done, both for ourselves and for others. * Climate change represents a particular threat to the people living in poverty. The main sources of carbon dioxide emissions are the rich countries of the world; and within these countries it is the rich who consume most and who are responsible for the largest amounts of pollution. Across the earth it is the poor who will feel the consequences; in Bangladesh or the Pacific islands or Africa or elsewhere. Climate change is therefore an issue of social justice. * This is challenge that the Church cannot ignore. We believe that churches can respond to climate change both by helping to raise awareness and by taking action to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. It is an act of faith on the part of congregations to respond to climate change to reduce its impact and the damage it can cause. Adaptation to Climate change: Our Key Points 4. There are number of general points about adapting to climate change that the Scottish Government might wish to consider. * It is not always easy to distinguish between mitigation and adaptation: they are not discrete concepts. Both form part of an overall response to climate change. The impact of climate change may also be felt though secondary effects, such as rising global food prices or an increase in forced migration which could have an impact on Scotland. * The Scottish Government should consider how it can help people across Scotland adapt effectively to climate change and should not rely only on organisational response. The consultation document tends to stress technical and organisational issues rather than the human and community responses. Adaptation has two main threads. One is physical and includes impacts on infrastructure and wildlife. The other is about society and its expectations. The former is well recognised, the later rather less so. * Education and awareness are critical. There is at present a gulf between the general public’s awareness of climate change and its limited understanding of the range of specific actions that will be needed to adapt effectively. * Communities at the edge of Scotland have a lot to offer: they are often more resilient in responding to wild or chaotic weather and disruption it entails than people living in the central belt towns and cities: we should listen to people living on the edge. Specific comments 5. The sections below set out specific comments on the proposals and questions contained in the consultation document. Purpose of the consultation (chapter three) Scotland’s communities are already in the front line in terms of responding to the impacts of climate change. (paragraph 3.6) 6. Although it is very difficult to link day to day weather to climate change many people in Scotland are well used to experiencing extreme and harsh weather, including winter storms, flood and gales. A number of isolated communities have taken steps to respond to this and the Scottish Government and other organisations could learn from actions that have already taken place around Scotland. In particular island communities may have a lot to offer through their experience of coping with extreme weather. People living in remote communities often demonstrate a resilience that the Scottish Government identifies as a necessary component of adapting effectively to climate change. Islands such as Westray and Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands, Gigha and Eigg in the west have taken action to secure energy supplies from renewable resources. In developing such a response islanders have had to work together through community action. In Westray for example the Church has played a leading role in responding to climate change both to reduce its emissions and to secure its energy supply through local renewable energy supplies. Community led projects helping people respond to climate change could play an important role in the Government’s overall strategy. Climate change is happening There is overwhelming scientific evidence that the global climate is changing and that the primary cause for this change is the release of greenhouse gases at a greater rate from human activity. (paragraph 4.4) 7. This may be the case but the evidence from across Scotland is that there is still confusion about climate change, its causes and consequences. The scale of the problem is global and there is a dawning recognition that we have caused the change. This is a frightening prospect for many people and has led to a variety of reactions, including denial, a refusal to accept the evidence of human causation or a desire to blame somebody else. Even among those who accept that climate change is happening, the scale of uncertainty and challenges it raises can be daunting. For example, few people accurately know how much carbon dioxide they are responsible for producing or what changes they should make to their lives to respond to climate change. For this reason we think there remains a huge task to raise awareness across Scotland about adapting to climate change. Strategic principles Planning for, and managing the risks posed by, the impacts of climate change supports the Government purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth. (paragraph 5.4) 8. We are not convinced that the Scottish Government has really understood the scale of the changes that face people in Scotland. Taking carbon out of the economy will require changes on a huge scale. Economic development continues on traditional lines: new housing is built on sites that are car dependent or at risk of flooding; airport expansion is planned to meet predicted increases in air traffic and new roads are being built to deal with predicted growth in traffic. Planning for ‘sustainable economic growth’ is an abstract concept that will need to be translated in to more specific planning guidelines if it is to become a reality. Educate the public and other sectors on the nature of climate risks and how they can be managed. (paragraph 5.7) 9. This is possibly the greatest single challenge and the commitment to which the Church would give the highest priority. As mentioned above we believe there is still a gulf between popular understanding of climate change and practical action to adapt to climate change. People are aware that something is happening but don’t necessarily know how to respond or how to adapt. The Church has a role to play here and can help raise awareness and stimulate practical action, for example through the Eco-Congregation movement. There are 200 Eco-Congregations across Scotland that could act as centres of learning and innovation in responding to climate change. Supporting Climate Change Adaptation (Chapter 6) 10. This chapter deals largely with the role of organisations and institutions: key decision makers, the Government, councils and other institutions. While this is important the Government must also reach out to communities across Scotland to help them formulate their own response to climate change. This would lead to consideration of the role of education; community learning and development; support to communities; and to voluntary organisations. In this context the Climate Challenge Fund is an example of how the Government can reach out to voluntary organisations and help them engage in the action to respond to climate change. Different parts of society may need to respond differently: government by formulating policy and regulatory framework; business by factoring in climate risk and consumers by developing different expectations (about the holidays they take, where they live and the landscape they live in). The consultation tends to focus on business and physical infrastructure but neglects the importance of other sectors. We are convinced that churches, congregations and other faith groups can help people respond effectively to climate change by taking responsibility for their own actions and by taking a lead in their local communities. International development 11. The Government also raises the issue of supporting adaptation in international development. The Church has long established experience of working on international development issues with partners around the world through its World Mission Council. In recent year World Mission partners in Bangladesh, Malawi, Nepal and elsewhere have become increasingly concerned about climate change. The Church has responded to partners’ concerns and its project Responding to Climate Change has been informed by the impact of climate change on partners. In this work the Church has worked closely with other organisations, for example Christian Aid, who have also identified climate change as one of the major threats to people in developing countries. For these reasons the Church and other partners such as Christian Aid or Mercy Corps are well placed to work with the Scottish Government to raise awareness of the link between climate change and international development. Secondary Effects 12. This also raises the importance of the secondary impacts of climate change. The consultation document draws attention to the primary effects of climate change on Scotland and the possible impact they may have. These impacts have been identified by the Scottish Climate Change Impacts Partnership (SCCIP). But there will also be secondary effects. For example, changing climates elsewhere may have an impact on food production. Drought in Australia might significantly reduce the grain harvest, pushing up the global price of wheat. Climate change in Africa and other parts of the world could increase the number of migrants trying to enter Europe. The journal Forced Migration Review recently focused on Climate Change and Displacement, highlighting the extent of the potential displacement crisis and the need for international action2. There may be a range of other secondary effects that collectively might be as important as the primary effects directly experienced in Scotland. These secondary effects could cause a range of unpredictable economic or social consequences. In adapting to climate change the Scottish Government will need to be aware of these changes and their likely impact on Scotland. For further information please contact: Adrian Shaw, Climate Change Project Officer, Church of Scotland 121 George Street, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 225 5722 e-mail: ashaw@cofscotland.org.uk Charity Number: SC011353 1 Church of Scotland Response to the Scottish Government Proposal for a Scottish Climate Change Bill, April 2008 2 Forced Migration Review, 31, Oxford, 2008.