SSN_Analysis_Report_23-24FINAL
Argyll and Bute Council · 21 August 2025
Back to Policy and Resources Committee — 21 August 2025 and its agenda
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Analysis Report 2023/24 Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting
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2Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 At the outset of reporting in 2015/16 the analysis covered all sections of the reports. This was subsequently limited to data provided on greenhouse gas emissions, emission reduction projects and renewable energy generation. With effect from 2022, the summary report has also included analysis of additional questions on budget alignment with targets, publishing progress and also key parts of the Adaptation section. Reports from the 30 Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) refer to one or more of the NHS boards or local authority partners that form the respective Health and Social Care Partnership, in particular with respect to emissions and targets. To avoid double-counting, therefore, IJB reports are excluded from all analyses, bar the adaptation section and part of the targets analysis. This report presents summary findings based on high-level analysis of all Public Bodies’ Climate Change Duties 2023/24 annual compliance reports. See Annex for legislative requirements 100% compliance was achieved for the third period running. The total number of bodies subject to mandatory reporting reduced by two to 186 for the 2023/24 reporting period, following the merger of: North Highland College UHI; West Highland College UHI; and UHI Outer Hebrides (also known as Lews Castle College) to form UHI North, West and Hebrides, 1st August 2023. All reports are available on the SSN website including voluntary reports submitted by: • Environmental Standards Scotland • Healthcare Improvement Scotland • NHS 24 As these bodies are not currently subject to mandatory reporting the reports do not inform the analysis. The 2023/24 reporting period spanned 1st January 2023 to 31st August 2024 to accommodate different corporate accounting cycles (i.e., calendar, financial and academic). Executive summary Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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Scope 1 2% Scope 3 27% 7%Scope 2 3Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Figure 1: Headline figures Figure 2: Percentage of total bodies by sector Table 1: Number of reports by sector Sector Number Others 54 Educational Institutions 43 Local Authorities 32 Integration Joint Boards 30 NHS Boards 20 Transport Partnerships 7 Total 186 3,106,003 tCO2e Total reported emissions 493,859 Total staff 186/100% Reports received 74,212 tCO2e Project emissions savings Emission changes 362 GWh Renewable energy generated Others 29% Educational Institutions 23% Integration Joint Boards 16% Local Authorities 17% Transport Partnerships 4% NHS Boards 11% Executive summary continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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4Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Headlines Emissions reporting is improving incrementally, but gaps remain in the coverage of certain sources, most significantly for procurement, commuting and some modes of business travel. Staff commuting is the most under- reported emission source, with the majority of bodies yet to submit any estimates. Emissions from commuting increased 42% since last year, (9% of all reported emissions) but much of this is accounted for by one university, while nearly a third of the increase is attributable to two universities reporting student travel between term times as “relocation” emissions. Business travel emissions continue to rebound, following the 64% drop in 2020/21 as a result of the pandemic. They are 16% higher than last year due mainly to increased road travel and higher flight emission factors introduced in 2023. Emission reduction project savings are 41% higher than 2022/23. Waste projects account for >43% of the increase, having nearly quadrupled since last year. Over half of the savings is due to two local authorities reporting new energy from waste projects. Scope 1 (direct emissions) fell 2% for the second reporting period running but have remained relatively stable since reporting began, dropping only 5% overall since 2015/16. Natural gas consumption is the over-riding influence, generating >70% of Scope 1 emissions. Although consumption has declined by nearly 7% since 2015/16 much of this correlates with warmer winters reducing heating demands. Although fleet emissions rank as the second largest source of direct emissions they are only 7% of total scope 1 sources. Despite a drop of 7% since the previous reporting period, fleet emissions have increased 6% since 2015/16. Scope 3 (indirect emissions) present a more complex picture with the range and scale of reported emissions having increased substantially since 2015/16. Most pronounced is the continued expansion of procurement emissions reporting, overtaking electricity grid emissions for the first time and equivalent to 93% of reported natural gas emissions. With high uncertainty concerning accounting methodologies, and less than half of public bodies reporting any procurement emissions, there is substantial under-reporting. Actions, including the adoption of circular economy principles and practices as part of procurement processes and contract specifications, however, need to be the primary focus for driving down procurement emissions across the public sector. Many bodies are already addressing this, even where emissions data is unavailable or uncertain, and examples have been provided in spotlights as part of this and previous reports. These changes are also feeding through to targets, in some instances, and in the adoption of decision-making approaches, e.g. development of carbon impact assessments of business and service delivery plans. Scope 2 (indirect emissions) increased for the first time since reporting began as a result of an unprecedented c.7% rise in the 2023 UK electricity grid factor. Grid consumption has now rebounded to 98% of 2019/20 pre-pandemic levels, reported 2019/20. The progressive rise in consumption following the peak of the pandemic was not reflected in reported emissions due to the grid emission factor decreasing by 9% twice in succession, i.e., for 2021 and for 2022. The subsequent 7% increase in 2023, due to a range of external factors during 2022/23 including lower renewables generation nationally and increased gas combustion at power stations, has now made increasing consumption more apparent. As the 2024 grid factor has remained similar to 2023, this will be reflected again next year in Scope 2 emissions, unless there have been substantive changes in demand over the 2024/25 reporting period. 1 2 3 Executive summary continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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5Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Renewable energy generation Total net renewable energy generation has barely changed over the last two reporting periods. Last year, a 2% increase in renewable heat was offset by a 5% drop in renewable electricity. Total net generation, split 30:70 between electricity and heat, displaced the equivalent of c.2.4% of total 2023/24 reported emissions. Emission reduction targets Many bodies have made strong public commitments on contributing towards Scotland’s policy on becoming a net zero nation by 2045, often as part of sub-sector targets. Individual reports, however, do not always reflect these broader sector commitments, as was stated in last year’s analysis. Alignment with national policy targets is mixed but generally indicates low correlation, with the exception of net zero scope 1 emissions by 2045 being mentioned by 66% of bodies. Other national targets regarding fleet and buildings decarbonisation have been adopted by less than 20% of bodies. Reducing car mileage by 20% by 2030 has been cited by only 5% of bodies, despite it being relatively easy to apply to e.g. fleet mileage reductions, although it may have been incorporated in some cases without being mentioned specifically. There is no material change in progress (<1%) against quantitative targets since last year, with 63% estimated to be on track or ahead of delivery and 37% behind. All Emissions targets still dominate and, although the total number has reduced by nearly one third, they represent over half of those targets that are behind on delivery. Targets to reduce electricity emissions by relying on the UK grid decarbonising will be sensitive to any fluctuations in the emission factor, e.g. the 7% increase in the 2023 factor, sustained into 2024. Also, the National Grid is working towards the UK Government’s 2050 net zero target rather than Scotland’s 2045 national net zero target. Alignment of spending plans and resource use with targets has improved marginally with six more bodies providing strong evidence of strategic approaches compared to last year’s responses. Nearly a third of bodies, however, mention budget alignment in terms of single issues only, e.g. in meeting fleet targets. A low-level transition towards improving transparency of progress against targets is evident, with no large-scale changes since last year. Five more bodies are now publishing information online, e.g. web dashboards, meaning 85% of bodies make information on progress publicly available. Adaptation Fewer bodies responded solely on mitigation measures, suggesting that training and support to help bodies differentiate between adaptation and mitigation has had some impact, but 16% are still referencing mitigation with no relevant benefits or links to adaptation. While the number of bodies reporting no risk assessment has reduced it is still significantly high at 26%. Nearly a third of bodies have now completed advanced or comprehensive assessments, increasing from 27% last year. Adaptation action has improved marginally since last year. More bodies are taking some form of action (74%) albeit 47% appear to be taking only limited action with no evidence provided of how risks are being addressed. Executive summary continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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6Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Data coverage Public bodies report corporate greenhouse gas emissions1 arising from operation of their estate, assets and services, with the exception of IJBs which, from an emissions source perspective, are generally included as part of the respective NHS board. For this reason, IJBs are excluded from any emissions analysis. Although reporting has improved in quality with more emission sources, specifically Scope 3, being added over the years, there is still an indeterminate level of under- reporting. Table 3 (page 7) shows the percentage of each sector reporting specific emission sources. Where a higher percentage is provided in brackets below the reported percentage this draws on the best available information, including findings from voluntary questions included for the first time, to help understand where there is potentially significant under-reporting2. Please note: This analysis is based solely on reported emissions data and other information provided in public bodies’ annual reports. Corporate emissions 1 See the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard 2 Some voluntary questions were added to the reporting template to reduce uncertainty concerning reporting gaps. Voluntary questions did not cover all emission sources and the quality of responses and response rate hampers stronger certainty in some instances. Further guidance, training and feedback would help to ensure questions are completed correctly. 3 Previously included under Processes. The biggest gap is for commuting emissions, with nearly three quarters of bodies not reporting any data. Commuting is potentially the only activity where there is high certainty that every public body has some associated emissions. Procurement also will apply to most if not all public bodies but over half have not included any emissions. Certainty around other emission sources is lower so it is not as easy to quantify the level of under-reporting. See comments against individual emission sources. Table 2 shows the number of bodies reporting specific sources at the onset of mandatory reporting in 2015/16 and in more recent periods. Coverage has generally increased over time, with the exception of a more recent drop in the number of bodies (<10%) reporting homeworking. The representation of total FTEs is still relatively high however (68%) when compared with commuting (26%). Table 2: Number of bodies reporting specific emission sources Number of bodies reporting specific emission sources Emissions Source 2015/16 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Homeworking N/A 129 117 (62% of FTEs) 117 (68% of total FTEs) Procurement 1 17 56 68 Commuting 3 16 34 (21% of FTEs) 44 (26% of total FTEs) Refrigerants 5 24 38 43 Medical gases3 N/A 6 11 16 Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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7Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Table 3: Data coverage of emission sources by sector and ranked by scale Emission source Local Authorities NHS Boards Educational Institutions Others Transport Partnerships Comments Natural gas 91% 70% 91% 87% 29% The national grid network is not available across all of Scotland so coverage will never be 100% for any sector. 91% is the highest achievable based on 3 local authority areas not having access to the national gas grid supply, so probably limited under-reporting. Procurement 9% 30% 74% 44% 43% Expect every sector should be 100%, with no or few exceptions. Grid electricity 100% 95% 100% 94% 57% Shared services agreements with larger public bodies may account for <100% in some sectors. Staff commuting 13% 0% 58% 22% 43% Every public body will have some staff commuting so there is significant under- reporting across all sectors. Fleet 100% 75% (90%)4 74% (90%) 54% (56%) 14% Not all public bodies own or operate corporate fleet, particularly in the Others sector. NHS and Education sectors appear to have an element of under-reporting. Waste 97% 90% 95% 80% 43% Waste is slightly under-reported but this may be due to smaller bodies having a shared services agreement with a larger public body that reports the combined waste emissions. Business travel - flights 38% (56%) 50% (90%) 72% (84%) 78% (88%) 71% There is under-reporting across all sectors, which may be more than indicated as not every public body answered the voluntary question. Business travel - road 100% 100% 79% (100%) 89% (93%) 86% Some under-reporting in specific sectors, mostly within Education. Other heating & fuels 94% 75% 51% 33% 0 Level of under-reporting probably not significant but unknown without further information. Processes n/a 0% 2% 7% n/a Not relevant for majority of public bodies so minimal, if any, under-reporting. Homeworking 69% (90%) 50% (100%) 84% (100%) 81% (93%) 71% There is under-reporting across all sectors, which may be more than indicated as not every public body answered the voluntary question. Medical gases 0% 83% 2% 0% 0% Two NHS bodies do not use medical gases so sector will never be 100%. Some other bodies indicated use but provided no data (see footnote 2 on page 6). Purchased heat & steam 9% 10% 5% 4% n/a Not expected to be high across sectors but further information needed to improve certainty of any reporting gaps. Refrigerants 6% (53%) 45% (85%) 51% (81%) 19% (75%) 0 Responses to voluntary question suggests substantive under-reporting. Water & sewage 94% 90% 98% 85% 43% Aside from smaller PBs located in larger public sector estates with shared services agreement, all bodies should report emissions. 4 Percentages in brackets indicate what the sector percentage would be if all bodies reported emissions data for the relevant source or activity. It is based on the best information available, including responses to voluntary questions although response rates vary. Corporate emissions continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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8Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Changes to reported emission scopes over time Scope 1 (direct) emissions have remained relatively stable over the same period with some year-on-year reductions and an overall reduction of >5% since 2015/16. Reductions of late appear to be due largely to reduced gas consumption, discussed further below, with continued transition to electric fleet vehicles being a secondary factor. Scope 2 (indirect) emissions show the greatest decline, dropping 60% since 2015/16 in tandem with a 55% reduction in the carbon intensity of the UK electricity grid and a 13% drop in demand over the same period. The overall decline has slowed since the last reporting period (63%) due to the carbon intensity of the UK grid bucking long-terms trends with the emission factor increasing 7% in 2023 after a steady decline since the onset of reporting. Figure 3: Reported emissions by scopes and percentage changes since 2015/16 and 2022/23 % change since last year % change since first year Scope 1 -2% -5% Scope 2 7% -60% Scope 3 - General 9% -35% Scope 3 - Procurement 43% N/A Scope 3 - Commuting 42% 1431% 2015/16 1,000,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 tCO 2e 2020/21 2022/232021/22 2023/24 As mentioned above, public bodies’ systems for monitoring and reporting emissions have improved, especially for Scope 3 (indirect) emissions. As a consequence, all three of the Scope 3 emissions categories (General, Procurement and Commuting) show marked increases since 2020/21. The 42% increase in reported commuting emissions comes a close second to the 43% increase in reported procurement emissions, however, as mentioned above there are still considerable gaps in reporting of the former and high uncertainty concerning the latter. Of most significance is the impact of reporting student commuting, especially “relocation” travel between terms, as part of Educational Institutions Scope 3 emissions, discussed further below. Corporate emissions continued Scope 1 Scope 3 - Procurement Scope 3 - Commuting Scope 3 - General Scope 2 Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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9Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 1,000,000 1,200,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 2015/16 tCO 2e 2023/242022/23 500,000 600,000 400,000 300,000 900,000 1,000,000 800,000 700,000 200,000 100,000 2015/16 tCO 2e 2023/242022/23 Figure 4: Scope 1 and 2 emissions by sector and percentage change since last year Figure 5: Scope 3 emissions by sector and percentage changes since last year % change Local Authorities 0.0% NHS Boards -1.1% Others 1% Educational Institutions -0.5% Transport Partnerships 94% % change Local Authorities 4% NHS Boards 16% Others 7% Educational Institutions 46% Transport Partnerships 4% Total combined Scope 1 and 2 reported emissions have decreased by almost one third since 2015/16 but there has been no statistically significant change (<1%) since last year. NHS Boards reported the largest drop of 1.1%. Transport Partnerships’ combined emissions almost doubled but this change is insignificant sector-wide given the small scale of the sector’s emissions compared to those of the large sectors. The picture for Scope 3 emissions over time and across sectors is more complicated. Total Scope 3 reported emissions increased for all sectors since last year but the Education sector dominates, both in terms of reported emissions and the increase over time, including a 46% increase since last year. As discussed elsewhere this is largely due to the sector reporting more procurement and commuting emissions, including student commuting and “relocation” travel. NHS Scope 3 emissions increased 16% mainly due to increased reporting of inhalers and road business travel. Corporate emissions continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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10Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Table 4: Changes in emissions by source Emissions (tCO2e) % Change since Source 2015/16 2022/23 2023/24 2015/16 2022/23 Natural gas 843,615 789,398 798,020 -5% 1% Procurement N/A 523,2695 740,904 N/A 43% Grid electricity 1,550,894 587,100 620,584 -60% 6% Commuting 18,193 196,381 278,573 1431% 42% Fleet 207,559 236,499 219,269 6% -7% Waste 314,744 162,946 153,569 -51% -6% Business travel 136,532 88,861 103,302 -24% 16% Other heating fuel 133,536 61,192 71,770 -46% 17% Processes 47,772 74,124 67,397 41% -9% Homeworking N/A 33,833 39,241 N/A 16% Medical gases N/A 19,7035 21,451 N/A 9% Purchased heat & steam N/A 5,866 7,232 N/A 23% Refrigerants 620 3,6555 5,173 734% 42% Water and sewage 13,655 4,793 5,166 -62% 8% Other 640 522 2,096 227% 301% The reason for changes in reported emissions can be complex and multi-faceted and may reflect: a mix of direct efforts to reduce emissions through performance management measures, including effective project delivery and operational changes; and indirect impacts as a result of other organisational and strategic activities to improve operational efficiencies, service delivery or reduce costs. Additionally wider socio-economic and political drivers may also be influencing emissions. It is not feasible to elaborate here on these, however some key factors to consider in the context of the changes include: • Differential response rates over time concerning a range of emission sources, in particular scope 3 sources, such as procurement and commuting is a major issue; • changes to service delivery and associated activities, e.g. business travel continues to rebound from peak pandemic periods; • improved control of a source, e.g. fugitive emissions from the use of refrigerants; • changes to emission factors, e.g. for the UK electricity grid; • changes to monitoring methodologies and accounting of emissions using proxy data, especially concerning supply chain emissions; • improved methodologies can result in errors being identified with respect to previous reporting periods. Where significant, this is noted in Table 4. Percentage changes in reported emissions by source since 2015/16 and 2022/23 are shown in Table 4. Emission sources are ranked in descending order, therefore a small change in a large emission source at the top of the table is more significant than a large change in a smaller source ranked towards the bottom of the table, although relative coverage of data sources should also be kept in mind. With the above points in mind, some of the more notable increases for significant sources are highlighted in Table 4. Key changes in significant sources of reported emissions 5 Adjusted as a result of latest analysis and quality assurance checks of reports identifying retrospective errors. Corporate emissions continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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11Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Natural Gas Consumption of natural gas has fallen by nearly 7% since 2015/16 yielding >5% reduction in emissions. There is no statistically significant change in consumption or emissions since last year, however, and it still remains the biggest source in terms of the total public sector reported footprint. Grid electricity Electricity consumption is the predominant source of Scope 2 (indirect) emissions. As discussed above, decarbonisation of the UK grid has been the main driving force behind a 60% reduction in emissions since 2015/16, Figure 8. Consumption has reduced overall by 13% since 2015/16 but rebounded 6% from an all-time low during the 2020/21 pandemic dip. The effect of recovering demand during successive reporting periods on emissions was masked by consecutive 9% decreases in the emission factor until the unprecedented increase of 7% in the 2023 emission factor took full effect, generating nearly 6% more emissions over the 2023/24 reporting period. Figure 6: Natural gas energy consumption (GWh) and percentage change since 2015/16 Figure 7: Natural gas emissions since 2015/16 and percentage change year on year -4.3% 1.3% -1.4% -0.8% -6.2% -6.8% -1.6% 4,600 4,700 4,500 4,400 4,300 4,200 4,100 Consumption GW h 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 -4.3% -5.5% 5.9% 2.9% -0.1% -4.2% 1.1% -0.3% 860,000 850,000 840,000 830,000 820,000 810,000 800,000 790,000 780,000 770,000 760,000 Emissions tCO 2e 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 -4.7% Corporate emissions continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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12Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Why does the UK electricity grid factor change? “The UK electricity factor is prone to fluctuate from year to year as the fuel mix consumed in UK power stations (and auto-generators) and the proportion of net imported electricity changes. These annual changes can be large as the factor depends very heavily on the relative prices of coal and natural gas as well as fluctuations in peak demand and renewables. Given the importance of this factor, the explanation for fluctuations will be presented hereinafter. In the 2019 GHG Conversion Factors, there was a 10% decrease in the UK Electricity CO2e factor compared to the previous year. In the 2020 update, the CO2e factor decreased (compared with 2019) again by 9%. In the 2021 update, the CO2e factor again decreased by 9% (in comparison to the 2020 update). These decreases are all due to a decrease in coal use in electricity generation and an increase in renewable generation. In the 2024 update, the UK Electricity CO2e factor has remained at a similar level to the 2023 update.” Read ‘Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2024, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, UK Government, June 2024 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 0.35 0.4 0.3 0.25 0.55 0.5 0.45 0.1 0.15 0.2Em issions (tCO 2e) UK Grid Em ission Factor (kg/CO 2e/kW h) 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Emissions Emission factor Emissions Consumption Figure 8: Grid electricity emissions since 2015/16 and corresponding UK grid emission factor Figure 9: Electricity emissions and consumption since 2015/16 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 Em issions (tCO 2e) Electricity consum ption (GW h) 2,900 3,000 2,800 2,700 3,200 3,100 2,400 2,500 2,600 Corporate emissions continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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13Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Procurement emissions increased 42%, now ranking as the second highest source, overtaking Scope 2 emissions for the first time and equivalent to 93% of reported natural gas emissions (noting that additional bodies reported these for the first time this year, see Table 3). Although over a third of bodies reported some procurement, there is still a significant level of under-reporting. This is partly due to the lack of agreement regarding a standard methodology (especially in moving beyond a basic spend-based approach) that public bodies should adopt, and the complexity and high uncertainty of estimates. Educational Institutions are the most advanced, however, the methodologies adopted are mostly based on spend which is not directly correlated with the emissions intensity of a product supply chain or service provision. Educational Institutions reported the largest sector change, with one university accounting for nearly half of the total apparent increase in procurement emissions across all sectors. Commuting emissions increased by 42%, representing c.9% of the public sector’s total reported emissions (up slightly from 7% share last year). A further nine bodies reported this source but it remains significantly under- reported with 74% of bodies not reporting any emissions. One university accounts for 72% of the increase in commuting emissions. Two universities reported student “relocation” emissions, accounting for 30% of the apparent increase. In summary, the emissions reported present a complex picture given the significant under- reporting with respect to staff FTEs (26%) but with some universities including student commuting, more specifically international travel between term times. Other heating fuels emissions increased 17%. Much of this increase relates to extenuating circumstances, principally flood conditions requiring use of generators at Scottish Water assets and back-up oil-fired boilers being deployed at a Scottish Prison Services site while a gas leak was being repaired. Business travel emissions increased 16%, continuing to rebound but still remaining 21% lower than the pre- pandemic 2018/19 reporting period. The main factors are a 23% increase in road travel and the impact of flight emission factors increasing in 20236 to reflect lower load/ occupancy rates in recent years. Homeworking emissions increased 16%. The number of bodies reporting homeworking remained static but five bodies identified errors in the data reported last year, mostly from the Education sector. Homeworking emissions are generally based on staff surveys, informed by personnel data where available. Three quarters of public sector bodies are now reporting emissions related to homeworking, representing c.1% of total emissions. In contrast, as discussed above, significant under-reporting of staff commuting emissions is the critical gap in terms of understanding how corporate governance and decisions concerning hybrid work practices might significantly influence the public sector’s emissions footprint. Medical gas emissions increased c. 9%. Although the number of NHS Boards reporting this source has increased to 15 from 11 the previous year, there is still an element of under-reporting within the sector. 6 UK DESNZ 2023 emission factor increases – 35% long-haul, 21% short-haul and 11% domestic flights. Table 5: Commuting emissions - coverage by sector and changes since 2022/23 No. of bodies reporting commuting emissions Reported commuting emissions (TCO2e) Change since 2022/23Sector 2022/23 2023/24 2022/23 2023/24 Educational Institutions 17 25 172,046 260,914 52% NHS Boards 1 0 12,005 0 -100% Local Authorities 4 4 8,611 13,812 60% Others 10 12 3,718 3,843 3% Transport Partnerships 3 3 1 4 147% Total 35 44 196,381 278,573 42% Corporate emissions continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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14Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Emission sources by sector The breakdown of emission sources by sector contributions, provided in Figure 10, provides some insight into which sectors are reporting the major share of a particular source, e.g. procurement, or where reporting is more evenly distributed. Sectors with large estates such as Local Authorities and NHS Boards understandably represent a major share of natural gas emissions from heating of buildings, especially hospitals, care homes and large schools. As discussed above, Educational Institutions are furthest ahead as a sector on reporting procurement emissions but estimates are based on spend which is a crude proxy for actual emissions. Commuting emissions are significantly under-reported by all sectors. Educational Institutions currently report the largest emissions share and will continue to do so as more universities include student “relocation” emissions due to travel home between term times, including international flights. Local authorities predominate waste emissions due to their unique function in collecting and disposing of municipal waste. It is not always reported separately from corporate waste but it may be instructive to do so in the future. Figure 10: Sector shares of total emission sources exceeding 10,000 tCO2e 2023/24 Local Authorities NHS Boards Educational Institutions Others Transport Partnerships Natural gas Procurement Electricity Commuting Fleet Waste Other heating & fuel Processes Business travel - flights Business travel - road Hybrid working Medical gases 10,000 110,000 210,000 310,000 410,000 510,000 610,000 710,000 Corporate emissions continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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15Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 LED lighting upgrades including estate and street lighting Battery upgrades Installation of submetering Switch off schemes to reduce consumption Expansion of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure Fleet replacement, including hydrogen and electric vehicles Use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil to replace diesel Landfill diversion Food waste hubs and campaigns Furniture recycling schemes Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) upgrades Switch off schemes to reduce consumption Electrifying commercial kitchens (induction hobs) Efficiency upgrades (insulation, glazing etc.) Boiler upgrade or replacement Sustainable business travel policies, travel hierarchies Active travel investment Waterless urinals Water efficiency measures Electricity Fleet transport WasteHeating Business travel Water Emissions reduction projects are planned activities intended to reduce carbon and other GHG emissions. They include measures to: reduce energy demand e.g. energy efficiency improvements and behaviour change; and to reduce emissions from the supply of energy, e.g. fuel substitutions. Table 6: Types of emissions reduction projects Projects Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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16Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Project savings by emission source Emissions savings presented here reflect the reporting period only, not the project lifetime. The largest emissions savings accrue to waste projects, with an increase of nearly 200% since last year, over half of which is due to two local authorities reporting new energy from waste projects. Waste emissions savings represents >43% of total reported project savings, which are 41% higher than 2022/23. Electricity and gas projects accounted for c.27% of total reported project savings. Electricity savings fell 43% since 2022/23 and have almost halved since 2020/21. As stated in the analysis report for 2022/23, this trend could be due to a number of factors, including peak savings having already been achieved through large- scale changes such as local authorities converting streetlighting to LEDs. A further 19% of total reported savings is from a mix of projects classed as “Other”, including sequestration, peatland restoration, and emissions related to the use of medical gases and from procurement activity. The greatest percentage increase in savings compared to last year is a result of an NHS Board transitioning to heat pumps and reducing kerosene consumption. Water projects showed the largest drop in savings, down 79% since 2022/23 but water project savings overall have always been much lower than other project types. Projects continued -21% Em issions saved (tCO 2e) 30,000 25,000 35,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Natural gas ElectricityWaste Business travel Other heating fuels Water and sewerage Other Fleet transport -79%74% 198% -43% 860% -28% 133% 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Figure 11: Project savings by type since 2021/22 and percentage change since 2022/23 Figure 12: Project savings by sector since 2021/22 and % change since 2022/23 Project savings by sector All sectors reported an increase in emissions saved from project delivery with the exception of the Education sector which reported 32% less project savings than last year, due mainly to one body not reporting savings from a soil sequestration project reported on previously. Local authorities continue to lead on emissions saving projects, dominated by increasing diversion of municipal waste from landfill, as discussed above. NHS Boards’ emissions savings from projects were 47% higher than last year, exceeding savings reported by Educational Institutions and approaching total project savings reported by the Others sector. Transport Partnership savings are negligible by comparison with other sectors (c.4 tCO2e) so are not shown in Figure 12 for reasons of scale. No IJBs included project information, some referred to a partner body’s report but the majority provided no response. Emissions saved (tCO 2e) 45,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 35,000 25,000 15,000 5,000 0 24% 83% 47% -32% Educational Institutions NHS BoardsLocal Authorities Others Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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Figure 13: Renewables generation (GWh) 250 270 230 210 190 170 150 130 110 90 70 2021/22 Energy generated (GW h) 2023/242022/23 250 252247 113 109115 Heat Electricity 7 Renewable electricity generation amended from 116 to 115 GWh as a result of a 2022/23 reporting error identified during quality assurance checks. 17Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Renewable energy generation by sector There is a marginal increase in bodies reporting renewable energy generation from 58% to 59%. All but one local authority reported one or more renewable energy sources, as did two thirds of NHS Boards and over half of the Education sector. Local Authorities generated just over half of the reported renewable energy (>80% as renewable heat). The Others sector generates the most renewable electricity, the majority of which is from Scottish Water assets. The Transport Partnerships sector has remained static, generating 0.01 GWh of renewable electricity with no renewable heat and is not presented in charts due to the large differences of scale. None of the IJBs report renewable energy generation as they are co-located within the corresponding local authority or NHS Board estate. Emissions displaced as a result of generating renewable energy on-site can be estimated from renewable gas and heat generation data. The efficiency of savings varies, especially for electricity, in relation to the rate of UK grid decarbonisation. For example, 1GWh of renewable electricity generated 10 years ago accrued higher emissions savings given the historically higher carbon intensity of the UK grid. Renewable energy generation Renewable energy generation initiatives help reduce supply-side emissions rather than addressing demand. There is a trade-off from a broader sustainability perspective, e.g. dependency on sourcing raw materials for solar panels, but in terms of simple emissions reduction, renewable energy supplies make sense for large public sector estates and certain remote or off-grid assets. Solar voltaic panels and biomass boilers are the most common technologies adopted by public bodies followed by heat pumps, solar thermal and wind turbines. Total renewable net energy generation has changed minimally since 2021/22. A 2% increase in renewable heat was offset by a 5% drop in renewable electricity last year1. Total generation equates to emissions savings of c.76,000 tCO2e, split 30:70 between electricity and heat, representing c.2.4% of total reported emissions. In terms of total reported consumption, renewable heat generation represents 6% of natural gas demand and renewable electricity 4% of UK grid supply. Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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Figure 14: Renewable electricity generation by sector since 2021/22 50 GWh 100 GWh 150 GWh 200 GWh 250 GWh 300 GWh0 Heat 2023/24 Electricity Heat 2022/23 Electricity Heat 2021/22 Electricity 39 66 149 50 30 20 34 4 3 7 1 73 31 3 471 144 33 2841 35152 3530 Renewable electricity emission savings The Others sector dominates renewable electricity emissions savings, as expected from generation data above, however, the 6% emission savings is due effectively to the grid emission factor increasing for the first time since reporting began. Bearing this in mind for other sectors, the Education sector once again accounts for the largest increase in emissions savings from renewable electricity, but, together with the NHS sector, is still reporting marginal supplies. Such low generation levels in both sectors means that issues with a single installation can drive large percentage changes, e.g. the 32% drop in NHS savings is due to prolonged operational issues with a biomass boiler at one site. Impacts of variations in the weather and environmental conditions that affect generating capacity have not been taken into account. Renewable heat Emissions savings from the generation of renewable heat increased across all sectors except for an 18% drop in the NHS sector, attributable mainly to reduced output from biomass boilers, caused in some cases by delays in securing replacement parts from abroad. The Education sector demonstrated the largest increase in savings of 23%, much of which is due to the University of Edinburgh commissioning new heat pumps. Local Authorities Others NHS Boards Educational Institutions 18Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Em issions saved (tCO 2e) 14,000 16,000 10,000 12,000 8,000 6,000 2,000 4,000 0 -4% 6% -32% 21% NHS Boards Local Authorities Educational Institutions Others -18% Educational Institutions tCO 2e 25,000 30,000 35,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 6% 4% NHS Boards Local Authorities Others 23% Figure 15: Renewable electricity emission savings (tCO2e) by sector and latest percentage change since 2021/22 Figure 16: Renewable heat emission savings (tCO2e) since 2021/22 and percentage change since 2022/23 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Renewable energy generation continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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19Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Scottish Water has a Net Zero Routemap for achieving net zero emissions by 2040. Some local authorities have set more ambitious dates as early as 2030. Some sectors have set collective commitments, e.g. NHS Scotland aims to become a net zero health service by 2040 and the Scottish Funding Council references collective net zero targets of 2040 for Scotland’s colleges and 2045 for Scotland’s universities. As stated in previous reports, this analysis is based solely on what individual public bodies reported in their 2023/24 reports, which may not reflect the above. While there are improvements that demonstrate better alignment and read-through to sector commitments, gaps remain. This may be indicative of various issues ranging from sector leadership and governance through to accountability and quality control of reports within relevant bodies. Total targets coverage by sector Although some improvements are evident in the quality of reporting, due to the diversity of target types and bodies’ interpretation of national policies on targets, quantitative analysis remains challenging, especially with respect to progress and trends. Most IJBs did not report any targets or referenced the corresponding NHS Board or LA report and have not been included in the following targets analysis, consistent with last year’s report. Overall, the public sector average remains 81%, the same as last year, albeit there have been minor shifts within sectors. The total number of targets increased 5%. Sector targets by type Target numbers by type for recent reporting periods are shown in Table 8. The All emissions target type remains the most common target but has dropped 9% since last year. This could be due to a number of factors, including recognition of the pitfalls of trying to track and achieve Many bodies have made strong public commitments to contributing towards Scotland’s policy on becoming a net zero nation by 2045. Emission targets Table 7: Total targets reported per sector Sector Local Authorities Educational Institutions Others NHS Boards Transport Partnerships Average Percentage of sector with one or more targets 100% 81% 76% 80% 57% 81% Total no. of targets 138 105 173 88 5 509 Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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20Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 an all-encompassing target, especially when boundaries are being redrawn to include more emission sources and substantial estate rationalisation programmes are underway as part of cost-saving measures. Energy use in buildings and Fleet have both dropped at a scale similar to All emissions but still rank high overall. Scope 3 targets rank higher than Fleet now, having increased 84% since last year, although much of this is due to two bodies introducing significantly more targets, including in relation to supply chains. The largest increase is in Scope 1 and 2 targets (156%), with a further nine bodies reporting this target type. This type still ranks low overall, however, with no sector dominating (Local Authorities rank lowest at three). Business travel targets increased 69%, with the Others sector claiming over half of the total 27 business travel targets. Alignment with national policy targets A closer look at how reported targets align with relevant national emissions-related targets is provided in Table 9. In keeping with the former 2022/23 analysis, Net zero Scope 1 emissions by 2045 is assessed broadly, capturing any 2045 net zero target that includes Scope 1 irrespective of whether other emission sources are covered, e.g. Scopes 1 and 2. There has been no change in overall ranking and minor changes in the top two ranking targets reflect small shifts within sectors. Table 8: Target types per reporting period Target type 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 % change since last year All emissions 163 169 153 -9% Energy use in buildings 80 83 77 -7% Waste 71 66 64 -3% Scope 3 33 25 46 84% Fleet 43 45 41 -9% Scope 1 25 25 31 24% Business travel 28 16 27 69% Other 33 24 25 4% Scopes 1 and 2 9 9 23 156% Scope 2 11 13 13 0% Water and sewage 12 9 9 0% Total 508 484 509 7% 8 Error noted in last year’s report, correct total is 106 for 2022/23. 9 Some exceptions apply for specialised, including emergency, vehicles. 10 Some bodies include Scope 2 electricity use and other indirect emission sources as part of an overall building target. 11 From 2020 baseline, see Transport Scotland routemap. This covers a mix of direct and indirect emissions. Table 9: Number of bodies per sector reporting target date(s) for direct emissions reduction National policy target No. of bodies per sector Local Authorities Educational Institutions Others NHS Boards Transport Partnerships Total no. of bodies % of bodies Net zero Scope 1 emissions by 2045 31 30 26 13 3 1038 (3) 66% Zero tailpipe emissions from fleet by 20309 7 4 8 8 0 27 (4) 17% Zero emissions from heating or buildings no later than 203810 8 4 7 3 0 22 (=) 14% 20% reduction in car mileage by 203011 3 3 2 0 0 8 (=) 5% Emission targets continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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21Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Table 10 provides a sector breakdown for Net Zero Scope 1 2045 targets, ranging from Local Authorities (81%) to Transport Partnerships (43%). These 103 bodies account for >85% of 2023/24 total reported emissions. Nearly 74% have set a target ahead of 2045. Progress against quantitative targets Approximately 48% of the total reported targets included sufficient information to assess progress, i.e. stipulating an absolute or percentage reduction by either a stated target date or over a specified time period. This is 2% lower than last year, as a percentage of all reported targets, but overall there are 3% more quantitative targets reported in 2023/24 compared with 2022/23, Table 11. There is no material change (<1%) in progress against quantitative targets since last year with 63% on track or ahead of delivery and 37% behind. Emissions targets still dominate and, although the total number has reduced some 30%, they represent over half of the targets behind on delivery. More targets have been adopted in the other categories, bar Waste, but they still form less than half of all quantitative targets. Targets with only a 2045 deadline and no intermediate milestone or realistic pathway to monitor and manage progress are potentially at greater risk of failure. Targets may be impacted by a range of factors beyond a body or sector’s control. For example, targets for electricity emissions reduction that are dependent on the UK grid decarbonising will be sensitive to any delays in progress, witness the 7% increase in the 2023 grid emission factor which was effectively maintained in 2024. Also, the National Grid is working towards the UK Government’s 2050 net zero target rather than Scotland’s 2045 national net zero target. Table 11: Progress against quantitative targets Progress against quantitative targets Total targets Target Ahead On-track Behind % Behind 2022/23 2023/24 Emissions 56 25 46 36% 165 127 Fleet 16 5 16 43% 31 37 Energy 17 11 16 36% 21 44 Waste 9 3 4 25% 17 16 Water 3 3 5 45% 3 11 Other 5 2 4 36% 2 11 Total 106 49 91 37% 239 246 Table 10: Bodies reporting net zero Scope 1 2045 targets Sector Net zero S1 target reported % of sector Target ahead of 2045 Local Authorities 26 81% 17 Educational Institutions 30 70% 25 NHS Boards 13 65% 12 Others 31 57% 20 Transport Partnerships 3 43% 2 Total 103 66% 76 Emission targets continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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22Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 2022/23 2023/24 Table 12: Budget alignment with net zero targets Rating Sector Transport Partnerships 1 2 4 0 0 1 2 4 0 0 NHS Boards 5 9 5 1 0 3 9 6 2 0 IJBs 15 13 2 0 0 16 11 3 0 0 Local Authorities 2 3 8 12 7 3 2 7 10 10 Educational Institutions 7 11 17 8 2 5 7 18 10 3 Others 10 9 15 14 6 6 11 16 13 8 Total 40 47 51 35 15 34 42 54 35 21 Alignment of spending plans and resource use with emission reduction targets Public bodies should take account of the potential impacts of budgetary and resource planning and decision-making processes on achieving emissions reduction targets that support a just and sustainable transition towards a net zero Scotland by 2045. Table 12 shows how bodies are aligning spending plans and resource use to reduce emissions and deliver their emissions reduction targets. Orange bars represent last year and green bars represent this year’s assessment of responses against the following categories: No response or claimed not applicable No evidence that emission targets are informing budgets and resource planning Some evidence that emission targets are informing budgets and resource planning but limited to a specific area e.g. fleet, rather than corporate approach Good evidence that a corporate or strategic approach is planned or in embryonic stages Strong evidence of a strategic approach that considers all relevant budgets and resource needs with respect to an established net zero pathway or emissions budget. The University of Aberdeen has been using the Cost of Net Zero Calculator developed by AUDE (Association of University Directors of Estates) to support dialogue on how best to embed net zero investment into its long-term financial planning. Responses suggest a slight improvement across the public sector with a general shift towards more mature approaches. An additional 9 bodies show some or strong evidence of planning or taking measures to align spending plans and budget decisions with emission reduction targets. Fewer bodies are not responding or providing no evidence. Emission targets continued NHS Ayrshire and Arran completed a self- assessment based around Audit Scotland’s “Addressing climate change in Scotland: a summary of key recommendations for public bodies”. This has prompted actions to address a wide range of climate issues across the organisation and a framework for assessing climate change impacts from proposed projects is also under-development. Examples Scottish Water has Net Zero Emissions as one of 3 key objectives in its Strategic Plan. Near-term net zero goals and activities are set out in Scottish Water’s current Delivery Plan, to be updated in future ‘Performance and Prospects’ reports as part of annual reporting. Business activities are focused on delivering the commitments set in the Net Zero Emissions Routemap. Carbon is assessed across all investment projects using the capital carbon and costing tools the business has created. Investment teams are asked to focus on project options that will deliver the lowest whole life carbon. Investment planning, decision making and reporting processes include a consideration of both operational and embodied emissions. Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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23Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 2022/23 2023/24 Publishing progress towards targets Public bodies must be transparent about progress being made towards emission reduction targets. Although annual climate change reports are posted on the SSN website, public bodies should publish progress towards achieving emission reduction targets via other means such as corporate performance reports or annual accounts. Table 13 illustrates changes in assessment for each sector since last year’s analysis. As before, orange bars represent last year and green bars this year’s assessment of responses against the following categories: No response or claimed not applicable Planning how to make information on progress towards emission reduction targets available Progress against targets available online or in general communications but not included in corporate reports or annual accounts Progress against targets is published in corporate reports or annual accounts There has been marginal overall improvement since last year, most notably fewer bodies not responding and more bodies making information on progress towards targets available online, albeit not published in corporate reports or accounts. Renfrewshire Council is piloting Climate Change Impact Assessments (CCIAs), developed from the SSN Climate Change Impact Assessment Framework (CCIAF), across all projects within the Project Management Unit. The CCIAs are designed to add value to decision-making processes, taking account of potential impacts on emissions, pathways and broader sustainability duties. South Ayrshire Council’s approach to service level carbon budgeting is outlined in the Spotlights section. Three IJBs mentioned some form of action or process, taken either independently or in partnership with the local authority or NHS board, which seeks to ensure that decisions on budget expenditure and resource use are cognisant of implications for emissions and national targets, at the very least. Examples of high scoring actions: Registers of Scotland is committed to achieving net zero direct emissions by 2040 and net zero indirect emissions by 2045 in its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy. Progress is published in the Annual Report and Accounts and will also be published on the website alongside quarterly performance measures. Sabhal Mòr Ostaig will be publishing progress towards achieving its stated net zero emissions targets as part of its Annual Report and Accounts. NHS Ayrshire and Arran Climate change features in the board’s annual accounts. A net zero disclosure report details targets, pathways, short to medium term goals, ambition, risks and policy requirements. Table 13: Publishing progress towards targets Rating Sector Transport Partnerships 1 1 5 0 1 1 5 0 NHS Boards 4 0 9 7 3 0 11 6 IJBs 18 11 1 0 15 14 1 0 Local Authorities 1 0 12 19 2 0 13 17 Educational Institutions 5 6 22 2 5 3 23 3 Others 7 6 17 24 4 5 18 27 Total 36 24 66 62 30 23 71 62 Emission targets continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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24Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Figure 17: Percentage of sectors responding on mitigation rather than adaptation Adaptation Transport Partnerships Educational Institutions NHS Boards Integration Joint Boards Local Authorities Others Percentage 30 25 35 20 15 10 5 0 As part of adaption risk assessments and action- planning, it is good practice to optimise potential co-benefits and minimise possible constraints, especially longer-term such as avoiding lock-in to high building energy consumption as part of thermal comfort needs. Assessing adaptation risks and mitigation measures in tandem helps identify synergies and manage unintended consequences or trade-offs, e.g. the provision of nature-based solutions in urbanised areas can help alleviate flooding and minimise urban heat island effects, while delivering multiple benefits for human health, well-being, nature and biodiversity. All sectors, including IJBs, are included in the analysis of adaptation responses. Relevance of responses As observed in previous years, some responses in the adaptation section relate solely to mitigation measures with no mention of, or obvious link to, adaptation. The number of bodies responding solely on mitigation has dropped 4% since last year but is still significant at 16% for the whole public sector. Training and support, specifically targeted for universities and colleges, has helped improve understanding of the distinction, halving the frequency of incorrect responses from the Education sector. Others and Local Authorities sectors have improved also but Transport Partnerships and IJBs have increased. No change has been witnessed in the NHS sector12 which has the highest percentage of all the sectors. 2022/23 2023/24 12 Last year’s analysis showing NHS Boards at 10% was incorrect. Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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25Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Adaptation continued Climate change risk assessment Assessing what climate-related risks are relevant to a public body and its functions is an important first step. This allows bodies to prioritise and plan actions to improve resilience and adapt to current and longer-term direct and indirect impacts of a changing climate. For the purposes of this analysis, the maturity of risk assessment was determined according to the following categories: • None no response or stated not applicable • Limited assessment focused on a single issue (e.g. flooding) • Comprehensive assessment, addressing a range of climate risks • Advanced approach combining comprehensive risk assessment with stakeholder engagement The majority of bodies (42%) have undertaken a limited form of risk assessment. While the number of bodies reporting no risk assessment has reduced it is still significantly high at 26%. Nearly a third of bodies have now completed advanced or comprehensive assessments, increasing from 27% last year. Figure 18: Progress on assessing risks from climate change since 2021/22 Maturity of risk assessments by sectors 2021/22 2023/242022/23 2% 34% 42% 22% 21% 44% 6% 30% 7% 25% 42% 26% None Limited Comprehensive Advanced Figure 19: Maturity of risk assessment by sector (%) None Limited Comprehensive Advanced 20%0 40% 60% 80% 100% Transport Partnerships Local Authorities NHS Boards Others Educational Institutions IJBs 57% 43% 87% 10% 3% 16% 53% 30% 20% 56% 13% 11% 35% 60% 5% 41% 41% 19% All local authorities and NHS bodies have now completed some form of risk assessment. 18% of local authorities have completed an advanced risk assessment and 39% have completed a comprehensive risk assessment. However, 42% of local authorities indicate that only single-issue risks have been considered, i.e. flooding. This has decreased from 47% indicated in the 2022/23 reporting period. The majority of the NHS sector (60%) have completed a comprehensive risk assessment, with 5% having carried out an advanced assessment. The majority of Educational Institutions have undertaken single issue risk assessments or infer that some assessment has been undertaken as part of a corporate risk register, but provide no detail specific to climate change risks. There has been some sector improvement since last year with more bodies maturing from the None and Limited rating to Comprehensive, which has increased from 18% to 30%. The Others sector has similar ratings at the low to mid-range of the risk assessment scale but 11% of bodies demonstrate an advanced approach. Most IJBs and more than half of Transport Partnerships have not undertaken any risk assessment. Although there may be perceptions that adaptation risks are being addressed by the host partner, both sectors should be assessing risks at a strategic planning level, in line with their roles and functions. Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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26Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Progress on adaptation action Having determined the likelihood and severity of direct and indirect climate change impacts, bodies can prioritise adaptation actions accordingly. The extent, or maturity, of action reported was assessed according to the following categories: • None no action reported or no response • Limited action or policy measures with no evidence of how risks are being addressed • Comprehensive action to address a suite of risks • Advanced strategy or adaptation pathway with targets to assess progress on risk management and actions to address shortfalls Adaptation action has improved marginally since last year. More bodies are taking some form of action (74%) albeit 47% appear to be taking only limited action with no evidence provided of how risks are being addressed. 20% are taking a comprehensive approach and a further 7% have adopted an adaptation strategy and targets to monitor and manage risks longer-term. Maturity of adaptation action Figure 21 breaks down progress according to maturity of actions for each sector. Local Authorities is the most mature sector with all bodies taking some form of action and the majority demonstrating comprehensive or advanced action. The Others sector ranks second with 6% taking advanced action but 75% of the sector reports no or limited action. There has been some improvement across the Education sector with fewer bodies taking no action, dropping to 14% from 22% last year, and with some now reporting advanced action. Despite the NHS sector being one of the most mature in assessing risks from climate change this is not yet feeding through to action. The majority of the sector is taking no or only limited action. Based on responses, no NHS Board appears to be taking advanced action. IJBs and Transport Partnerships remain unchanged, reporting the least action of all sectors. As mentioned previously, this may reflect institutional arrangements, especially where staff are co-located on a larger NHS or local authority estate. Adaptation continued Figure 20: Progress on adaptation action 2021/22 2023/242022/23 3% 33% 43% 21% 20% 47% 4% 28% 7% 20% 47% 26% None Limited Comprehensive Advanced Figure 21: Maturity of adaptation action by percentage of sector None Limited Comprehensive Advanced 20%0 40% 60% 80% 100% Transport Partnerships Local Authorities NHS Boards Others Educational Institutions IJBs 57% 43% 87% 10% 10% 65% 25% 14% 65% 19% 2% 19% 19%57% 6% 28% 44% 28% Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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27Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Table 14: Priority groups Priority groups 2022/23 2023/24 % change Adaptation planning and delivery 220 236 7% Assessing risks and impacts 196 216 10% Topic-based, insufficient info to allocate to specific priority group 185 184 -1% Partnerships and collaboration 100 109 9% Tools, standards, indicators 76 90 18% Training and Capacity building 55 56 2% Communications and engagement 43 46 7% Finance and costs 31 28 -10% Total 906 965 7% Correlating extent of action with maturity of risk assessment Last year’s analysis attempted to draw some tentative conclusions on how risk assessments may be correlated with adaptation actions, specifically, where action is being taken without the lack of a strategic approach or feasible adaptation pathway. This could result in maladaptation or compromise potential co-benefits. Fewer bodies appear to be in this situation, 15% compared with 20% last year, however it is difficult to draw any strong conclusions, based on a subjective assessment of the information provided. Improvements to the reporting guidance would be needed to give more confidence in the findings and to ensure that reports were completed with this analysis objective in mind. Adaptation continued Adaptation priorities Table 14 shows changes in the number of responses per priority group since 2022/23. As effective adaptation action typically requires medium to long-term planning, large shifts in priorities are not expected year-on-year. Adaptation Planning and Delivery remains the most frequently mentioned priority followed by Assessing Risks and Impacts. The biggest change since last year is an 18% increase in references to Tools, Standards and Indicators, with more bodies mentioning KPIs, targets or indicators and the Adaptation Scotland Benchmarking Tool. Around 20% of responses included a topic area with no context to enable assignment within a specific priority group. Topics mentioned include buildings and infrastructure (57); nature and biodiversity (55); travel and transport (30); health and wellbeing (17); food and agriculture (2) and climate justice (1). Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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28Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Spotlights South Ayrshire Council South Ayrshire Council established a Net Zero Board to drive forward action on reducing building emissions. Pilot projects were identified and feasibility reports completed for projects including energy centres and EnerPHit building retrofit. A new Building Energy Management System, IQ Vision, has improved remote access to building heating controls and realised energy savings. There are now 115 remote access building connections encompassing the majority of medium/ large energy demand sites and all Education buildings. The Council has also been successfully awarded funding from Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund to support the decarbonisation of Prestwick Swimming Pool. The refurbishment of Prestwick Pool will include building fabric upgrades, installation of new air handling plant, and installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) and a Building Management System (BMS) upgrade which will commence in 2024 and complete in 2025. The Council is finalising new Sustainable Design Guidance which, when implemented, will see improvement in the sustainability of new build and refurbishment projects, reducing the footprint as well as creating better environments for users. All proposed budget savings or resource demands have to state their impact on carbon emissions when submitted by services for consideration. The Council has also introduced a new Integrated Impact Assessment requiring consideration and transparency of the impacts that decisions will have on carbon emissions and a range of other considerations, including climate resilience, nature and biodiversity, more wholistically. Aberdeen City Council Aberdeen City Council received the keys to the £23 million Greyhope School & Community Hub in October 2023. The development includes a primary school (434 pupils), early learning and nursery (100 infants). The vision is to establish a vibrant, sustainable hub featuring a state- of-the-art primary school, community spaces, shared indoor and external sports facilities, library resources and a one-stop shop for a range of supporting council and partner agency services. The goals include enhancing educational outcomes, providing a stimulating environment for children, fostering community engagement, promoting health and well-being, celebrating Greyhope’s heritage, supporting the local economy and employment, and enhancing environmental sustainability. The expected benefits are an inspiring school environment, a cohesive community, improved health, stimulated cultural expression, increased prosperity, and environmental responsibility. The building will deliver efficient energy conservation and management by adopting a range of design features to maximise natural daylight and provide natural ventilation combined with mechanical ventilation for heat recovery in winter, controlled by CO2 monitors and temperature sensors. Surplus electricity generated by photovoltaics (PV) panels will be exported to the grid. City of Edinburgh Council The City of Edinburgh Council developed its first Council Emissions Reduction Plan (CERP) committing the Council to: • ensure that all new council buildings are constructed to certified Passivhaus standards. • invest £61m retrofitting 12 Council buildings to meet the highest energy efficiency standards. • electrify all cars and vans that are part of the Council’s fleet. • improve recycling facilities in schools and infrastructure for city wide communal bins. • invest in staff training to develop climate knowledge and skills. • expand solar PV capacity by 4 MW by 2030. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service continues to invest in innovative building energy management systems and sensors to collect data about how their buildings operate. The Grid Edge platform currently being used deploys machine learning to understand building performance in relation to internal and external environmental factors and adapt accordingly. This helps optimise building management and reduces energy consumption. East Ayrshire Council East Ayrshire Council estimated savings of £220,000 and 600 tCO2e by reducing the operating temperature in buildings by 1oC from 20oC to 19oC. Estates Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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The Highland Council The Highland Council has developed an interactive Energy Performance Benchmarking Tool to provide information and enable analysis of energy consumption, costs, and relative performance efficiencies for the non- domestic estate. The tool informs decisions on investment in buildings and asset rationalisation. It supports the Council’s Net-Zero Strategy target of zero operational emissions by 2045. Over 60% of reported emissions are attributed to non-domestic properties, including schools, offices, and depots. The tool is also intended to improve transparency and understanding amongst the public, council staff and Elected Members, on emissions arising from council properties. NatureScot A number of bodies have referenced rationalisation of estate being driven largely by costs, especially where space is less frequently used e.g., as a result of hybrid working arrangements. NatureScot conducted office reviews at Perth, Cupar, Dunoon and Clydebank which, together with other sites, has helped identify nearly 2,000m2 of workspace for release across seven sites. The University of Edinburgh: The University of Edinburgh’s Energy Masterplan is structured around a hierarchy of prioritised interventions to: eliminate energy waste; minimise energy demand; target energy efficiency investment; and invest in low-carbon energy sources. Investment recommendations are assessed through a robust model, which includes sensitivity analysis addressing energy performance, market risks, construction and delivery risks. The Estates Department, supported by the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, has enabled over 170 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects over the last eight years. These projects, valued at £11.5M, have enabled operating cost savings of £1.72M and carbon emissions reductions of 2,821 tCO2e p.a. since 2016. Collectively they have a simple payback of less than 7 years. The Energy and Utilities Masterplan includes more than £200M of potential energy efficiency improvement projects across the estate. Projects valued at £17M have been accelerated for delivery up to 2027/28. These projects represent ‘no regrets’ investments which reduce operating costs, achieve immediate emissions reductions, enable the transition to low carbon heat in buildings and demonstrate high returns on investment. Dumfries and Galloway Council Dumfries and Galloway Council trialled a new bitumen additive on four sections of road. The product is derived from recycled agricultural plastic and plastic bottles which are sorted and graded before mixing with conventional chemicals to form plastic pellets. The pellets are added to virgin bitumen emulsion at the tarmac production facility. This process removes plastic from waste streams and reduces the quantity of bitumen required. An innovative in situ road recycling process was also trialled at the re- surfaced sites. The process involves cold milling of the road structure to varying depths depending on the existing road construction. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and water are mixed with the milled road construction material to produce a cement bound structure which is then surfaced with conventional Hot Rolled Asphalt (HRA) to provide the running surface. The process is approximately 60% cheaper than conventional reconstruction methods. It reduces disposal off site needs by approximately 90% and, as a consequence, reduces lorry miles, fuel consumption, landfill, construction time, traffic disruption and demand for virgin quarried aggregate. The sites are being monitored for performance over an extended time frame with the intention of wider application if proven to be satisfactory. Aberdeen City Council Aberdeen City Council’s bus shelter replacement programme replaced 13 outdated shelters with modern, durable, and lower maintenance shelters. Installation of shelters with green roofs and solar lighting is prioritised where feasible and upgrades are planned until 2027 -2028. An additional 15 sedum roofed shelters have been installed with funding from the Regional Transport Partnership for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, NESTRANS, bringing the total to 30. Compared to traditional bus shelters, these act as ‘stepping stones for nature’ and are self-powered by solar panels. Shelter suppliers are actively reducing their carbon footprint, aiming for Net Zero by 2030. Components from old shelters are recycled and new shelters are typically 100% recyclable, minimising waste. Estates Infrastructure Spotlights continued 29Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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West Dunbartonshire Council West Dunbartonshire Council was awarded £6.1m of grant funding from the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) fund to design and build a district heating scheme, heated via a water source heat pump in the Clyde River basin at Queen’s Quay. This is currently heating a new state- of-the-art care home, Council offices, a leisure centre, library, town hall and 192 social houses. Work is ongoing to grow the network to potentially include private development, the Golden Jubilee Hospital and West College Scotland. Aberdeen City Council: Aberdeen City Council completed an eight- year rolling programme in March 2024 to convert c.7,000 street lights in the city to LED including phased installation of intelligent street lighting systems enabling control, dimming, and remote monitoring of faults. All lighting is now on a central management system (CMS), which enables monitoring of onsite equipment, reducing the number of site visits required by engineers and adaptively controlling the city lighting. The LED streetlights consume 60% less energy, saving c.400 tCO2e per year. Projected savings of £1 million per year have been exceeded, realising some £5 million due to increased electricity unit costs. (Case study: LED streetlighting replacement programme | Aberdeen City Council). The University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh has reviewed and updated its Integrated Transport Plan 2023-30 (ITP) following the first year of implementation. The ITP commits the University to collect staff and student commuting data using an annual travel survey. The new ITP adopts some targets included in the City of Edinburgh Council City Mobility Plan 2021-30 (CMP): • 30% reduction in kilometres (KMs) travelled by car by Edinburgh residents; • Mode share targets for trips to work (staff) and education (students). Overall, the University is achieving these targets, but not at an individual campus level. The ITP identifies campuses with a car mode share in excess of the target, and prioritises these for action. Following a significant drop in the frequency of staff/student commuting during 2022/23, the number of students commuting 5 days a week has more than doubled, although is still less than pre-pandemic levels. A marginal increase in staff commuting reflects hybrid working (43% of staff reported commuting 2-3 days per week). The proportion of staff and students walking, wheeling and cycling remains high, but has dropped in line with increased bus and rail use. The total carbon footprint of commuter travel has increased 23% since the last survey. The ITP also includes a target for 30% of the fleet vehicles to be electric by 2024-25, rising to 100% by 2030 (excluding agricultural vehicles, due to uncertainty of availability of suitable EV equivalents). NHS Lothian NHS Lothian has almost doubled the number of electric vehicles (EVs) since April 2022, as part of efforts to provide more sustainable healthcare. Delivery of an additional 55 EVs will bring the total number to 362, roughly half of NHS Lothian’s total fleet. NHS Lothian received its first three electric vehicles in 2012. Since 2019, the electric fleet has travelled over 1.8 million miles. The average car emits 0.78 pounds of CO2 per mile driven, which means NHS Lothian has avoided c.500 tonnes of emissions being released. Aberdeen City Council Aberdeen City Council continued converting larger fleet vehicles to hydrogen/diesel dual fuel as an interim solution due to the limited market availability of 100% hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and which can be triple the price of a diesel equivalent. A further 17 vehicles were converted during 2023/24 at a cost of c. £40K per vehicle and estimated emissions saving of around 30% and 10 more heavy vehicles (RCVs) will be converted over two years. Other planned works include continued adaptation of additional concept vehicles. To date, two drop-side vehicles, a Luton-style van, a tractor and two heavy lorries have been converted. NatureScot NatureScot has been steadily transitioning to a full zero emission vehicle (ZEV) fleet of pool cars & vans. Of the core fleet of 48 cars and vans, 39 are fully electric. Installation of EV charge points continues with capacity for 81 vehicles at NatureScot sites around the country. A potential test case on enabling private investment for EV charging infrastructure at Hub buildings is underway with Transport Scotland and the Energy Saving Trust. Greater emissions savings will be achieved when a cost-effective ZEV replacement for diesel 4x4 vehicles needed in remote sites becomes commercially available. Infrastructure TravelFleet Spotlights continued 30Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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Spotlights continued Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh Napier University received funding from Cycling Scotland and support through Bright Green Business to appoint a Campus Cycling Officer during the 2023/24 academic year. The Officer led a number of cycling related projects across all campuses. The Officer also secured funding to support the provision of improved bike storage at the Craiglockhart campus. The time, support and expertise provided by the Officer has proved invaluable and encouraged great active travel across the University. Travel 31Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Falkirk Council Falkirk Council has established a Multi- Disciplinary Group (MDG), coordinated by the Corporate Procurement Unit and involving Energy & Climate Change, Employment & Training Unit, Business Support, Waste Services, Falkirk Invest and Place Services Procurement in delivering value-added objectives via contracts and supporting strategic aims for the local economy, climate change and waste minimisation. The Group will review future contracts to identify benefits and outcomes in advance of procurement leads developing contract strategy and tender documents. Standardised statements allow procurement officers to ask bidders to provide evidence of capability in addressing the climate emergency in the form of a Bidder Climate Change Plan Template at the selection stage of a procurement exercise. The Council is phasing implementation based on market engagement information from suppliers to develop awareness of contract requirements ahead of full implementation in 2025. The Council has also developed a Sustainable Procurement Charter which sets out minimum sustainability standards to be met by suppliers. South Ayrshire Council South Ayrshire Council introduced carbon budgeting at Service Level. Service Leads make day-to-day decisions about how they spend their allocated financial budgets and work with their accountants to make sure these budgets are always brought in on line. The Sustainable Development Team has provided Service Leads with a carbon budget and information about how much carbon they are “spending” through the delivery of the services they manage. This allows them to start controlling their carbon emissions in the same way that they manage their financial budgets; through the daily decisions they make about the ways in which they provide the services they are in charge of delivering. At present this relates only to the emissions due to building heat and energy, fleet fuel use and mileage claims, however the Council aspires to extending the approach to other activities and emission sources as data availability and analysis improves, such as procurement decisions. A new impact assessment process has also been developed to help ensure resource allocation is in line with delivery of climate and biodiversity duties, alongside other requirements. The University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen had almost 190 centrally managed multi-function devices (MFDs) available for use by staff and students across its estate at the close of 2023. These were in supply since 2016 in addition to 50 individual desktop printers and 4 high volume print and copy services. Print copies have since fallen from 24 million to 5 million due to changes in teaching, research, and operations at the University post COVID-19. With the existing contract coming to an end in July 2024, the Directorate of Digital & Information Services (DIS) initiated a procurement exercise to rationalise the fleet, identify a supplier that would meet user demands, and also embed sustainability into the process. By comparing energy consumption for existing models with potential new models and rationalising the fleet, a set of heat-free models have been procured, reducing MFD emissions by almost 95%. Procurement Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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North Ayrshire Council North Ayrshire Council’s construction of two pioneering council-owned solar PV farms is underway at two former landfill sites. Much of the infrastructure at Nethermains, between Irvine and Kilwinning, has been installed and work is expected to complete early 2025. Construction work is also underway on a second solar PV farm at Shewalton. These projects are believed to be amongst the first solar farms to be owned and operated by a local authority in Scotland and mark a major milestone in cutting carbon emissions. Nethermains is expected to generate approximately 7,700MWh of electricity annually from more than 12,000 solar panels and will supply over 2,000 homes. Shewalton will have more than 8,500 solar panels, generating approximately 5,400MWh of electricity annually. Midlothian Council Midlothian Council’s joint venture energy company with Vattenfall, Midlothian Energy Ltd (MEL) is taking forward a number of carbon reduction projects including solar PV, electric vehicle charging, direct wire renewable electricity, Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency Framework measures, hydroelectric and hydrogen. The schemes are anticipated to attract investment of £90 - £100m. There is also the potential to expand their district heating project in Shawfair into neighbouring sites. Laying the 4km of pipes started in summer 2023. This initial phase will supply 3,000 homes, education and retail properties at Shawfair, saving over 2,500 tonnes of CO2 per year (the equivalent of taking 1,200 cars off the road) and the project is benefitting from up to £7.3m from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transformation Project. MEL also intends to engage with various departments from Councils in Edinburgh and East Lothian to scope the potential for cross-boundary emissions reductions projects too. Renewables 32Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Spotlights continued The University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde has fostered a formal collaboration process between the Procurement and Sustainable Strathclyde teams to ensure early involvement and senior representation on 5 strategic sustainability task force groups, including Travel Task Force and Climate Change. This collaboration ethos provides an opportunity for teams to review project pipelines and identify opportunities for involvement and improvement. Such improvements then become a contractual obligation and are monitored throughout the project duration. The University recommends that suppliers are assessed by EcoVadis, which provides business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for global supply chains. A supplier is assessed over four main sustainability headings of Environment, Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. The assessment leads to an action plan to develop and improve the supplier’s processes for each area. Over 40% of the University’s third party spend for the academic year 2023/24 was with companies fully assessed by EcoVadis. The University of Dundee The University of Dundee worked with Recycle Scotland to provide innovative furniture re- engineering solutions. As an alternative to buying new, the initial phase of the project saved c. 600kg of furniture from going to landfill – equivalent to roughly 0.6 metric tonnes of CO2 – and generated savings of around £5,000 for the University. North East Scotland College is using the Sustainable Furniture Framework Agreement which includes repair, refurbishment and re-engineering services, opportunities for re-use and repurposing of redundant items, recycling services and access to pre-owned and refurbished furniture products. As part of a staff lounge area refurbishment floor tiles containing at least 58% recycled material by weight were procured. Instead of buying new chairs, a chair reupholstery service was procured, extending the lifecycle of the chair frame, reducing waste and generating cost savings. Strathclyde Transport Partnership Strathclyde Transport Partnership is seeking to decarbonise its larger contracts when due for renewal. The Bus Shelter Cleaning contract has placed obligations on the appointed contractor to operate a fully electric fleet, remove petrol generators and to pay all staff the Real Living Wage. The Winter Gritting contract has also delivered upon similar requirements, but to a lesser extent due to the seasonality of the requirement and the available technology. South Lanarkshire IJB South Lanarkshire IJB has a target to identify 70 alert alarms per month that can be reused or recycled. To date 965 digital alert alarms have been returned/uplifted and reused, saving £156,330 on the cost of replacements and avoiding environmental impacts from sourcing new units. Procurement Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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Scottish Funding Council The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has incorporated net zero and sustainability into its new Outcomes Framework and Assurance Model (OF&AM), developed over 2022- 24. The new OF&AM sets out SFC’s expectations of colleges and universities in return for the funding that they receive. Net zero and the climate emergency is a cross cutting theme in the OF&AM, and each key outcome includes a net zero measure. This will help incentivise the sector to consider net zero and sustainability across all aspects of their operations and give greater assurance that SFC funding is being spent in a way which supports Scotland’s climate emergency response. Skills Development Scotland Skills Development Scotland’s Pathfinder work under the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan helped build the evidence base on heat decarbonisation skills, jobs, investment, and provision in the Shetland Isles and Glasgow City Region. Co-designed workshops were held with regional partners in further and higher education, local authorities, industry representatives and associated stakeholders, to develop a bespoke regional response to skills shortages in heat decarbonisation. Both regions identified a series of actions for partners concerning three thematic areas - curriculum, integrated business support, and outreach and engagement. A proposed monitoring framework will help partners determine progress. Aberdeen City Council Aberdeen City Council invited applications from all secondary school students in May 2023, to become Aberdeen’s second Youth Climate Change President. The new president and vice presidents were elected following a review led by the former incumbents. The group has been holding monthly meetings to discuss climate change, biodiversity, and net zero goals. Plans for the year included collaborating with primary schools on climate-related curricula, organising visits from energy companies, and creating a Google Classroom for citywide communication. The group is also involved in addressing issues such as disposable vapes within schools and communities. Wider influence 33Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) opened more Evidence by Commission suites in 2023/24. These support a trauma informed approach and help to reduce the need for vulnerable witnesses to travel to court. Evidence by commission allows for audio and visual recordings of witness statements to be taken in advance of a trial. The lack of commission suites throughout the SCTS estate has in the past required witnesses to travel long distances and, in some cases, required an overnight stay in order to record their evidence. Creative Scotland Creative Scotland has almost halved emissions per web page upload following website redesign in 2023/24. Creative Scotland is continuing work in line with Sustainable Web Design including a proposed full sustainability audit of the site and a carbon impact report in 2024/25. Tests on a standard news story content undertaken before and after redesign Before After Digital carbon rating E C Ecograder score 61/100 79/100 Emissions per page load 0.70gCO2e 0.34gCO2e Shared IT service A shared IT service, Enterprise Information Services (EIS), between Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise moved from on-premises hosting to hybrid cloud-based hosting. This case study looks at the improvements made in the second iteration of the hybrid cloud-based hosting contract and why those changes came about. South Lanarkshire IJB South Lanarkshire IJB reported that 28,594 Near Me Consultations were carried out in 2023/24 by over 800 service providers. This represents an estimated saving of 30,262 travel miles, equating to estimated patient savings of £25,000 and fewer emissions. Near Me is NHS Scotland’s secure video platform which enables people to link with their health and care professional from home. A group consultation function can facilitate up to 60 participants to join a pre-arranged consultation, for a maximum of four hours. Unlike regular consultations, group consultations can be hosted by multiple service providers. Digital Spotlights continued Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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James Hutton Institute (JHI) The James Hutton Institute (JHI) received Just Transition Funding to transform JHI Glensaugh to a green hydrogen farm (Hydroglen), entailing on-site production of hydrogen from solar and wind generated energy. Hydroglen will be a demonstrator farm for other farms and also rural communities. JHI is working with a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties including agricultural vehicle manufacturers regarding the development of hydrogen fuelled tractors. South Lanarkshire College South Lanarkshire College has built Scotland’s first affordable, low-energy, low-carbon house suitable for mass production on campus, in partnership with Dawn Homes. Learning from this innovative approach informed construction of a new teaching block to “outstanding” Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) standards. Being on campus, both buildings are used as teaching spaces and resources for demonstrating sustainable design and behaviours to help inform and inspire students, staff, and stakeholders. The University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews is leading a local partnership to restore coastal habitat at 30 sites along 16km of coastline around St Andrews, from Leuchars to Kingsbarns. This is made possible by the collaboration of a range of partners including Fife Council, Abbeyford Leisure, Kinkell Byre, Cambo Estate, Forest & Land Scotland, Fairmont Hotel, St Andrews Botanic Garden, local farmers and estate managers. Activities, supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration fund, managed by NatureScot, include: • re-establishing over 1ha saline lagoon/ intertidal habitat; • creating two wetland mosaics, 3220m2 wildflower meadow habitat and 1500m2 of pollinator-friendly embankment; • bringing >17 ha grassland into meadow management including through conservation grazing; • establishing nearly 5ha of native woodland; • planting 2255 metres of native hedgerow; • restoring nearly 2ha of open ground and 1650m2 of dune habitat on the north bank of the Eden Estuary currently at risk of degradation and loss through woodland succession. University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen’s Sustainability Team recruited an undergraduate intern to support a Biodiversity Mapping project during summer 2023. Features such as land boundaries, greenspace and buildings were mapped using QGIS, a community- based, open source spatial mapping platform. Areas of greenspace were then defined in accordance with the UK Habitat Classification Scheme (UKHab) including woodland, grassland, scrub, ponds, wetlands, marine and planted beds. This information is useful in managing grounds but will also enable the development of targets to improve biodiversity as part of Aberdeen 2040 commitments. Of the sites surveyed around two-thirds (59Ha) of University-managed land was identified as greenspace. This offers excellent scope for biodiversity improvement on campus, such as reviewing management of mown areas to encourage wildflowers, and benefit declining insect species, such as pollinators. North Ayrshire Council North Ayrshire Council is the first Scottish Local Authority to instigate the design of a biodiversity eLearning module. The Council instigated and lead a biodiversity eLearning working group consisting of five other Scottish Local Authorities. The finalised content has been shared with all other Scottish Local Authorities. Aberdeen City Aberdeen City’s Flagship Parks for Pollinators is extending naturalised greenspace management by improving and creating blue/green habitats in Duthie Park beside the River Dee and Seaton Park on the River Don, that will yield benefits for people and wildlife. A £37,000 Nature Restoration in Parks grant from the Scottish Government supported surveys, plans, and design works to improve wetlands and ponds, tree-planting and improving and establishing new areas of wildflower meadows. The Council also supports longer term ‘B-lines’ pollinator work with the charity Buglife. Find out more about public sector action as part of NatureScot’s Pollinator Strategy and annual Progress Reports. Wider influence Biodiversity Spotlights continued 34Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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NatureScot Adapts NatureScot Adapts is a dynamic framework for climate adaptation planning. Although NatureScot has long promoted the many benefits that nature can offer in the process of adapting society and the economy to climate change, the Framework and an accompanying plan introduces a fundamental element concerning how NatureScot adapts its work on protecting and restoring nature in the context of a changing climate. “Our adaptation framework covers everything we do, from protecting, restoring and valuing nature to the nuts and bolts of our corporate business, and from managing our own land to our advice and wider collaboration and advocacy role.” Climate change risks and adaptation, will be at the forefront of NatureScot’s business – from managing the estate to providing services, advice and guidance. Understanding the scale and significance of potential impacts will help ensure that actions are climate-ready and that benefits for and from nature are secured in a changing climate. An adaptation plan reflecting progress and proposals as part of annual business planning processes will be published every spring. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils co-hosted a Community Resilience Conference for the Grampian Area in October 2023. Approximately 100 attendees representing locally established and some newer groups engaged. Topics covered included: • promoting the individual, household, family and community resilience; • increasing understanding of roles and responsibilities of Category 1 responders and how community groups can contribute to emergency responses; • different types of resilience activities; • networking between groups. Borders College Borders College, as part of the Central and South of Scotland College Partnership, is the subject of a short video and case study illustrating use of the Climate Risk Register Guide and Tool. The tool is tailored to assist Educational Institutions at early or intermediate stages of understanding and addressing climate risks, including planning and prioritising actions. Adaptation Spotlights continued 35Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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36Sustainable Scotland Network | Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting 2023/24 Reporting compliance with the duties The Climate Change (Duties of Public Bodies: Reporting Requirements) (Scotland) Order 2015, as amended by The Climate Change (Duties of Public Bodies: Reporting Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020, requires public bodies listed in Schedule 1 to report annually by 30th November on compliance with the above duties. The annual report template, prescribed by the Order, sets out questions under six different parts: Part 1 Profile of the body – e.g. budget and staff numbers Part 2 Climate change governance, management and strategy Part 3 Corporate emissions, projects and targets Part 4 Adaptation – including risk assessments and management Part 5 Procurement – how policies and activities contribute to compliance with climate change duties Part 6 Validation of report data and information Public bodies may also report on their ‘wider influence’ on climate change and sustainable development under Part 7. This part of the report is voluntary and does not currently inform the summary analysis. The 2020 Amendment Order introduced additional questions with effect from the 2021/22 reporting period. Reports must now also include, where applicable: • the body’s target date for achieving zero direct emissions of greenhouse gases, or such other targets that demonstrate how the body is contributing to Scotland achieving its emissions reduction targets and how it will: - align its spending plans and use of resources to contribute to reducing emissions and delivering its emissions reduction targets; - publish, or otherwise make available, its progress to achieving its emissions reduction targets; • targets for reducing indirect emissions of greenhouse gases; • what contribution the body has made to helping deliver Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Programme. Climate change duties Section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 places duties on all public bodies, in exercising their functions, to: • contribute to delivery of Scotland’s national net zero target by reducing greenhouse gas emissions; • help deliver Scotland’s climate change adaptation programme (improve resilience to the impacts of a changing climate); and • act sustainably (demonstrate sustainability as a core value). Annex legislative background Projects AdaptationEmissions Executive summary TargetsRenewables AnnexSpotlights
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About the Sustainable Scotland Network The Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) is Scotland’s public sector climate change and sustainability network. SSN improves collaboration, coordination and leadership to accelerate action, in line with the duties placed on public bodies by Scotland’s climate change legislation. SSN membership is open to all professionals working in the public sector. SSN also welcomes collaboration and partnership working with stakeholders in other sectors. SSN is primarily supported by the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Local Authorities. The SSN Secretariat is part of the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) at the University of Edinburgh. Sustainable Scotland Network Edinburgh Climate Change Institute High School Yards Edinburgh EH1 1LZ sustainablescotlandnetwork.org sustainable-scotland-network @ssnscotland.bsky.social If you require this document in an alternative format, such as large print or a coloured background, please contact Sustainable Scotland Network at ssn@ed.ac.uk Published by Sustainable Scotland Network, May 2025 Images: © Dreamstime, Getty Images and The University of Edinburgh Design: Graphic Design Service, LTW, ISG, The University of Edinburgh