This report both demonstrates the urgent requirement for ‘climate ready’ infrastructure in Scotland and sets out the benefits that this type of infrastructure can deliver.
Scotland’s climate is changing. From flooding to wildfires, our
infrastructure is facing pressures that, for the most part, it wasn’t
designed to withstand.
Without urgent
action we risk a series of infrastructure failures that would hurt
the economy, be costly to resolve, and threaten the safety and
wellbeing of infrastructure users.
We must act
quickly to adapt and retrofit our infrastructure so it is resilient
to these impacts and can continue to perform. We must make it climate
ready.
This report has
detailed the bigger opportunity to be captured from bringing forward
climate ready infrastructure:
We have set out
not just the economic imperative for resilient infrastructure, but
the social and environmental benefits in doing so too.
Independent analysis has shown that climate ready infrastructure would meet all the NPF outcomes as well as supporting the Four Capitals in the Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Economy Monitor.
Case studies have detailed real and project specific examples of what we can expect from climate ready infrastructure projects and the detriments of assets that lack resiliency in the face of climate impacts.
As Scottish Government now considers a new Investment Hierarchy and Impact Assessment model the need to position climate readiness as a key pillar of infrastructure decision-making is clearer than ever before.
To capture these
benefits, we must act with urgency, establish an Infrastructure
Adaptation Task Force, Measure Value and align existing policy
levers. Infrastructure underpins every aspect of Scotland’s economy
and society. We have a duty to ensure that our assets can best serve
us all by delivering infrastructure that is resilient, sustainable
and supports our wellbeing.
With decisive
action, collaborative working and sound stewardship of our
infrastructure assets, Scotland can deliver economic, social and
environmental value through infrastructure that is fit for the
future, infrastructure that is climate ready.
Author: Gordon Brown