Working from home (WFH) has the potential to reduce carbon emissions associated with commuting and office space. However, these reductions must be balanced against an expected increase in emissions from heating and other energy use at home. As a result, the net impact has been unclear, and findings from other countries are not easily transferrable to Scotland due to differences in local housing stock and commuting behaviour.

Home working has increased sharply as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and for many people home working is expected to play an increased part of their working behaviour in the future, even if only for part of the working week.  This report assesses the impact of home working on Scottish greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by analysing:

  • the Scottish-specific emissions impact of home working; and
  • the drivers in personal emissions increases and decreases from a switch to home working.

Key findings

Working from home leads to a reduction in commuting and office emissions and an increase in home emissions. How these emission changes balance out for an individual defines their emissions impact from home working.

The analysis has found that if post-pandemic trends result in a higher proportion of people working from home across all types of houses and commuting behaviours, the overall impact on emissions will be small:

  • A 0.6% reduction in buildings and transport emissions if a mix of people with different house types, and heating and commuting behaviours work from home
  • A 0.6% increase in buildings and transport emissions if whole houses are heated all winter for home workers and office space remains open
  • A 2.0% reduction in buildings and transport emissions if only the home office areas of homes are heated, office sizes are reduced to reflected reduced demand, and working from home proves more popular with car commuters

Conclusions

  • Domestic heating is a large emission source which can offset much of the transport emissions savings of home working. Limiting domestic heating emissions through the rollout of smart heating systems, which only heat occupied areas of the house, would deliver the single biggest emission benefit from home working.
  • The lowest emission future is one where people commuting short to medium distances do so by public and active travel and continue to commute to the office, while people who commute long distance shift to working from home. 
  • The lowest emission working behaviour is a short commute to work in an energy efficient office. Changes to the Scottish National Planning Framework to support localism and the 20-minute neighbourhood concept could also look to support local shared office space to encourage the lowest emission working behaviour.
  • Larger properties with oil heating represent the worst place to work from home in terms of emissions. Targeting these properties for early decarbonisation can help to ensure working from home reduces emissions.
  • People who see an emissions saving from working from home today will also see a benefit in 2030. This means messaging around good working from home practices will remain relevant over time.

 

Nationally and internationally governments and stakeholders recognise that recovery from extreme weather events is not simply about rebuilding physical structures but that it needs to pursue wider social goals such as wellbeing and resilience.

This study investigates international approaches to assessing recovery from extreme weather events, the data sources underpinning them, and their applicability to Scotland. It seeks to enable a common understanding of climate resilience and the critical components in planning for local and national recovery from extreme weather.

The research reponds to a lack of national targets and data to measure recovery from extreme and/or repeated climate-related events as identified as an area of ‘high concern’ in the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) assessments of the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme (SCCAP).

Findings

We identified a number of monitoring frameworks used internationally of potential relevance to Scotland and evaluated the extent to which they would work with the approaches set out in the National Performance Framework and the SCCAP.

Based on international experience, the building blocks for developing a system for monitoring recovery from extreme weather events in Scotland are:

  • Framing recovery within a set of wider social goals such as wellbeing or resilience.
  • An approach that establishes the different areas or recovery that need to be considered and the role the community will play in deciding the system to be used.
  • A set of indicators of recovery.
  • Joined-up data across different scales (national, regional/local and community) with a focus on process and outcomes.
  • Relevance of the spatial scale at which data is collected and the timing and frequency of collection to the indicator.
  • Drawing on existing information.

Please note publication of this report was delayed due to the Covid19 pandemic

In Scotland the responsibility for protecting property from flooding rests with the owner. It is important therefore that property owners and occupiers know how to protect their property to reduce the physical and emotional impacts of being flooded.

This report aims to support uptake of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures by:

  1. exploring the reasons why people do not install PFR measures, using in-depth interviews with home and business owners who have been flooded; and
  2. identifying what would help encourage owners to make resilient changes to their properties using lessons from Scotland, the UK and internationally, and across other disciplines, for example energy efficiency.

A recent study estimated that 284,000 properties in Scotland are at risk of flooding. This figure is expected to increase to 394,000 by 2080 as a result of climate change. The need for information and support for property flood resilience action will be greater as climate change increases the number of properties at risk of flooding in Scotland.

Key findings

The property and business owners we spoke to were at an early stage on the journey to making their properties resilient. Although their property had previously been flooded (and they knew what it was like to suffer significant damage to their property), their responses to the idea of PFR were not positive, overall, and the barriers that were apparent were complex and not easily overcome.

Both strands of research indicated that the timing of communications is key and should be twofold. Firstly, there is a clear need for general awareness-raising pre-flood in areas at risk to shift attitudes towards greater risk awareness and risk acceptance. Secondly, this should be combined with a targeted communication campaign and signposting to help and inform at the crisis stage immediately after a flood.

The evidence review demonstrates that looking internationally, there are few examples where interventions have made great inroads in increasing flood preparedness. Scotland has a long way to go, but so do most other nations. Taken together the interviews and the evidence review show that there is no single or quick fix to increase PFR uptake – what is required is a series of interventions to tackle multiple and complex barriers. These must meet people at whatever stage they are at on the journey towards resilience.

The literature on encouraging uptake of PFR also suggests that it is important to empower communities, and to create an environment around property owners that make uptake of PFR measures the easy choice.

’20 minute neighbourhoods’ are places that are designed so residents can meet their day-to-day needs within a 20 minute walk of their home; through access to safe walking and cycling routes, or by public transport.

Many places around the world have made commitments or drawn up plans to support the realisation of the concept. However, only a few  have made 20 minute neighbourhoods a reality.

The Programme for Government 2020 commits the Scottish Government to working with local government and other partners to take forward ambitions for 20 minute neighbourhoods in Scotland.

This project:

  • considers the ambition for 20 minute neighbourhoods in Scotland, taking account of the differing settlement patterns across the country, and to highlight interventions that would support delivery of the concept, supported by findings from the baseline analysis; and
  • analyses international evidence of the success of interventions to achieve these ambitions, including identifying specific success factors, place-making impacts, barriers to success, regulatory frameworks, funding mechanisms and stakeholder engagement and buy-in.
Key findings

A baseline assessment shows that communities across Scotland have the required services and infrastructure that would allow them to be 20 minute neighbourhoods. This is the case across both urban and rural settlement areas. 

However, the assessment does not allow for the conclusion that the required quality of services or infrastructure is in place. Nor does it conclude that these places are performing as 20 minute neighbourhoods.

From the examples reviewed it is evident that a clear plan with bespoke local considerations is needed to achieve the vision. It is also clear that this plan must be people-centred and developed with the stakeholders in the community.

The report sets out five initial ambitions for developing 20 minute neighbourhoods in Scotland:

  1. Scotland has the opportunity to be a global leader in delivering this concept across the country, showing that it is feasible in both urban and rural locations
  2. Every neighbourhood in Scotland should be facilitated to be a 20 minute neighbourhood
  3. Communities should be empowered to make changes in their neighbourhoods to allow them to meet their daily needs in a fair and equitable way
  4. This concept should enable people to travel actively in support of their health and well-being, without access being limited by the cost of transport
  5. The 20 minute neighbourhood concept should be the ambition that pulls together all other relevant policies in a given location

These ambitions can only be realised through concerted efforts across policy, national and local delivery, and further research.

Webinar: 20-minute neighbourhoods: climate, travel and health benefits

Watch a webinar with speakers from Ramboll, Transport Scotland, Public Health Scotland & Scottish Government discussing the climate, travel & health benefits of 20-minute neighbourhoods:

Watch webinar

Impact

Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods: planning guidance

Scottish Government, 25 April 2024

Assessing investment needs and securing investment to adapt to climate change is a fast moving, cross-cutting and emergent policy area, nationally and internationally.

This project sets out to learn from international attempts at assessing and securing the optimum level of investment in order to keep pace with climate change. The research has a particular emphasis on flood risk management, coastal change and coastal erosion.

Flood risk management in Scotland is risk-based and plan led. Available investment is targeted at areas of greatest risk with consideration given to other factors like social vulnerability. In that context, this report sets out to explore:

  • how international jurisdictions are determining the appropriate level and desired impact of future investment;
  • how future change is accounted for in decision making;
  • how an optimal and balanced investment is considered;
  • how others are funding and planning to invest for the future; and
  • lessons and approaches that may be applicable and transferable to Scotland.
Key findings
  • Framing of investment challenges and ambitions directly influences investment portfolios, levels of investment and concepts of optimal investment. This subsequently influences how choices are made and the types of funding and financing solutions attracted and secured. The framing of investment ambitions is unique to each jurisdiction and is both place and time sensitive.
  • Scottish practices are commensurate with international peers. Innovation in resilience and adaptation is fast moving and continued investment, experimentation and learning will be necessary to keep pace with emergent international practice.
  • In the interest of Scottish practice going further and faster, it will be advantageous for Scotland to formalise international collaboration and learning with respect to investment decision making, and funding and financing practice.

These findings will support Scotland’s response to the climate emergency, and the Scottish Government and partners in delivering the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 and the Second Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme (SCCAP).

In 2020 governments, businesses, and citizens around the world have had to respond rapidly and radically to the more immediate global emergency of COVID-19. As the world begins to recover from this emotionally and economically devastating pandemic, questions are arising about how societal views and values may have changed in light of this experience, and what this might mean for how we think and talk about the global climate emergency.

Through a desk review, focus groups and a survey, this research identifies the potential impact the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has had on how the Scottish public understand and respond to climate change messaging and narratives.  This learning can support a green recovery from the pandemic by using language and framing that speaks to people’s values, generates a positive impact on key audiences and encourages the action needed.

Key findings
  • The impact of COVID-19 has widened the narrative around climate change to highlight that: collective action and change are possible, and in recovering from the pandemic, there is the opportunity to introduce further measures to tackle climate change.
  • Although people care about climate change it is not top of mind for most – participants were still engaged with the topic of climate change and recognise its importance, but its significance was relative to the pandemic.
  • A large array of climate change and environment related terminology is in circulation but vocabulary and understanding are limited. 
  • The idea of a green recovery is relevant and important to people in Scotland but as a term it needs to be clearly explained.
  • It is not always clear what the different climate responsibilities are and where they lie.
  • People are looking for a strong, urgent tone, with clear targets and path to follow.
Recommendations

In order to develop further the Scottish Government’s public engagement activity on climate change and to help facilitate support for a ‘green recovery’ from the pandemic, the report makes the following key considerations/ recommendations:

  • Educate and build knowledge around climate change by explaining key terms. To improve clarity of understanding and personal relevance, frame these and illustrate arguments in ways that are relevant to the lives of the different audience groups. 
  • To help create a sense of optimism to motivate action and demonstrate leadership, it is important to present:
    • A clear and concise vision, to help the public understand where everyone needs to get to – the end goal.
    • An accompanying routemap with clear targets, to help people in Scotland better understand the required journey and actions to reach the end goal. Emphasise key targets and how these can be achieved
    • A sense of being “all in this together” and all having a role to play at several levels (including global, Scotland, business, community, personal)
    • The progress made on both climate change and COVID-19 due to collective action
  • Clearly communicate the urgency of tackling climate change, but balanced with presenting climate change as a challenge that can be solved. There is strong support for action at all levels of society and a clear indication that a strong ‘must do’ tone is most appropriate for the topic of climate change.
  • Ensure the source is credible and reputable, but keep language accessible – while it is important that messages originate from a source the audience considers trustworthy, avoiding excessive use of climate-related jargon or other technical language is also required to maximise appeal and understanding.

Weather disruption is a ‘system stressor’ that is projected to increase in the coming decades as the global climate changes. The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment has identified climate change as one of the greatest risks to public health in the UK, and one which will impact vulnerable people disproportionally.

This project looks at how providers of social care support at home in Scotland respond to extreme weather events. Based on experience from three case studies of extreme weather, it considers how the sector is planning for, dealing with and learning from such events. The study only looks at support provided in people’s homes. It does not address care provided in other settings such as residential care homes.

The report is a first step in making an assessment of the social care support sector’s resilience to climate change and helping to improve this. The research is based on interviews with social care providers and with those working in business continuity, emergency planning and community resilience in six geographical focus areas. It also involved desk research, drawing on strategies and plans relevant to the provision of social care support at home which are in the public domain.

The study was commissioned and carried out prior to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, and also at a time when the Scottish Government was working with partners to develop a programme to support reform of adult social care support.

The report is published with the hope that the findings and recommendations resonate with and can support the recovery and remobilisation of the sector, and the ongoing reform work that was underway prior to the pandemic, and can support the wider learning around resilience from the pandemic.

Key findings
  • While extreme weather is a consideration in social care support, the research suggests planning for more frequent events caused by climate change is not front of mind for current leaders and managers in the sector.
  • The case study extreme weather events increased staff workload and travel times. Some providers moved to working from priority lists following Met Office weather warnings, continuing care and support categorised as critical or essential. We did not find data on the impact on clients not on the priority lists. It is also worth noting that priority list clients have complex needs that require specialist skills, which those staff who can reach them during travel disruption may not have. This makes staff re-deployment more challenging.
  • The social care support sector – thanks to the extraordinary commitment of staff – flexes at a time of crisis. Delivering social care through the case study extreme weather events was dependent on the goodwill, flexibility and high levels of motivation of the existing workforce. Some of the challenges faced during extreme weather bear aspects of similarity to those emerging as key factors for responding to the pandemic and during the first steps towards recovery.

This evidence review examines Scottish consumers’ awareness of and attitudes towards low-carbon heating technologies and the consumer drivers and barriers to their take-up.

Emissions from buildings account for around 20% of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions; lowering them will be essential for Scotland to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2045 and is likely to require changes to the heating and hot water systems of nearly all homes and non-domestic buildings.

While growing, the proportion of non-electrical heat demand met by renewable heat sources in Scotland is low, reaching 6.3% in 2018. Deployment of low-carbon and renewable heating needs to increase significantly to achieve our climate goals.

Key findings

  • Broad concern about climate change is not driving widespread uptake of low-carbon heat.
  • Raising awareness of low-carbon systems may not be enough to drive uptake.
  • People can be put off switching to low-carbon heating systems.
  • There are two main factors that put people off low-carbon heating systems: the expected cost and uncertainty about performance.
  • The minority who have installed low-carbon heating tend to be motivated by environmental benefits.
  • Financial support persuades some to adopt low-carbon heat but is not key for all and is not enough to drive mass uptake alone.
  • The heating trade is an important source of information about heating systems.

Recommendations

  • Reduce the inconvenience and uncertainty of switching to low-carbon heat.
  • Help consumers discover what low-carbon heating options are suitable for them.
  • Proactively introduce the idea of low-carbon heating options.
  • Give consumers confidence they will be able to get the comfort they want for a predictable price.
  • Start with homes that are already suited to low-carbon heating systems, because they will need less work.
  • Encourage less suitable households to prepare their home for low-carbon heating.
  • Simplify the application process for financial support.

This report was commissioned as part of the Scottish Government’s work to develop a new Public Engagement Strategy for climate change. At the core of this work is the need to understand public attitudes to climate change and review different models of public engagement to examine what works in achieving the transformation needed.

Key findings
  • Levels of concern about climate change have increased in recent years. The review finds that most people in Scotland believe that climate change is happening, and agree that climate change is an immediate and urgent issue. Scots are more likely to say they believe human activity has been a factor in the causes of climate change than people in England and Wales.
  • The Scottish public generally feel that more could be done to tackle climate change and support climate targets and agreements, and believe that governments should be showing leadership for tackling climate change.
  • The review identifies a number of ways governments can engage the public on climate change – no one identified as the ‘best’ approach. Each approach offer strengths and limitations, and reflect the range of different purposes it is designed to serve. 
  • The findings lend weight to the Scottish Government’s focus on public behaviours and public engagement as part of its work to tackle the climate emergency. However, levels of concern about and personal action on climate change issues vary across different demographic groups.
  • In the design and facilitation of public engagement it is therefore worth considering carefully the different ‘starting points’ that different groups may have in terms of understanding and engagement on climate change. For effective engagement, it is important to make climate change easy to understand and relatable to the public.

It is worth noting that the vast majority of studies included in the review took place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two of the surveys and six of the public engagement examples included in this review were carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these were conducted during a time of crisis and transition, it is too soon to say whether these findings accurately reflect the attitudes and behaviours of the public in a post-COVID-19 world. This review also does not have enough data to make comparisons on public attitudes to climate change before and after COVID-19. 

Property Flood Resilience (PFR) are practical measures designed to improve the resilience of properties to flooding, and the emotional impacts of flooding to people. They can either prevent water from entering a property (resistance measure), for example, flood guards across doorways, or limit the damage once water has entered a property (resilience measure), for example by water-proofing the brickwork.

PFR measures may be installed by an individual, or by a local government as part of a flood protection scheme or a subsidy scheme.

This study provides a baseline best estimate of the potential for PFR and current uptake.  The next stage of the ‘Living with Flooding: action plan’, is to consider possible reasons for the poor uptake of PFR and approaches to encourage uptake more widely.

The research has analysed SEPA flood-map data and qualitative surveys to determine:

  1. the flood risk circumstances whereby properties would benefit from PFR;
  2. the estimated number of properties and businesses at risk from flooding in each local authority area which could benefit from PFR today and in the future, allowing for climate change projections; and
  3. the uptake of PFR measures in Scotland in 2019, including how and when measures were installed.
Key findings

The findings suggest that potentially around 81,000 properties may benefit from the uptake of some kind of PFR measure. This is around one third of all properties at risk of flooding in Scotland from any source. All of these properties could benefit from some form of manual resistance measures (such as door and window guards, airbrick covers). Of these, 64,000 could benefit from automatic measures (such as sumps and pumps, non-return valves, automatic airbricks). 40,000 of the properties may also benefit from resilience measures.

Analysis show that areas where surface water flooding is usually less than 0.6m in depth will benefit the most from PFR measures.

An estimated 1,400-1,500 properties are currently protected by PFR across Scotland. The number has increased by at least 300 since 2014, with the majority installed by local authorities.

This shows the significant potential for wider uptake of PFR to contribute to flood risk management and climate resilience in Scotland. Therefore, while local authorities appear to have led the way in terms of contributing to PFR uptake, independent uptake by property owners needs to be encouraged and facilitated further.

Furthermore, as the number of properties at risk of flooding in Scotland increases with climate change, the number of properties that could benefit from PFR is expected to rise by 25,000 to 43,000 (30-70%) by the 2080s.

This shows that uptake needs to increase significantly over the short to medium term to ensure that Scotland employs the range of flood management measures best able to reduce the impact of flood risk, both current and in the future.

The analysis suggests that 400-600 properties would need to install PFR measures each year just to keep up with the projected increased impact on flooding from climate change, even without reducing current risks. This highlights both the significant role that PFR can play in managing the impacts of climate change on flood risk, but also the significant challenge in increasing uptake.

Read the Living With Flooding action plan