Addressing extreme environmental challenges in Scotland must be rooted in building a lasting coalition that is not only focused on ‘pure environmental goals’ but also inclusive enough to integrate its social, cultural and economic dimensions.
Scotland’s climate is witnessing a significant shift. The projections of climate change for the country paints a damning picture which, without hesitation, must be addressed. In 2023, a study by the James Hutton Institute warned that the trend of increased warming and reduced rainfall poses unprecedented challenges which could exacerbate the environmental impacts faced by species and habitats. More worryingly, the changes in climate that we are already experiencing are projected to continue and intensify going forward. These extreme whether events cannot in their entirety be disconnected from global trends, which have seen the current global warming emissions trajectory remain closer to between –0.4 and 2.9 degrees Celsius, a medium-high emissions trend, thus undermining Scotland's emissions and adaptation policies.
Across many fronts, climate leaders, policymakers, and activists have echoed a unified message regarding the future of climate action in both the United Kingdom and Scotland. There is broad consensus on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, curb biodiversity loss, improve marine and freshwater environments, and develop a circular economy.
According to the Scottish Climate Survey conducted by the Scottish Government, over 72 percent of people in Scotland showed huge concern about climate change as an ‘immediate and urgent problem’, showing a commonality in the position of many people - across different age groups, income levels and area deprivation - on what should be done to tackle it. Furthermore, the findings pointed to an increase in the percentage of Scots that are aware, understand, or experience climate change related issues, showing an increasingly high level of public awareness.
It is worth noting that awareness alone does not guarantee confidence in a solution, especially with the rise in scepticism and disillusionment. Despite this increasing awareness, many people in Scotland are still disillusioned about the present and fearful for the future, with many yet to be convinced that net zero offers a way forward. Therefore, we must find a common denominator among those that are most affected and remobilize along this line.
Climate leaders and policymakers must understand that there is a brewing threat to climate action with the rise of ideological battles playing out across the world, including in Scotland. With about 15 percent becoming ‘sceptical’, opponents of climate action are pivoting from ‘simply denying that human activity is changing the climate’ towards an emerging narrative that climate solutions don’t work or ‘are too expensive’. Quite worrying is the difficulty that comes with engaging these particular audiences across Scotland, Wales and England on climate change, and the soaring skepticism about the concept of ‘net zero’.
The Need for Plurality of Social Actors
To overcome the ideological divides, we must therefore broaden the conversation by including diverse social actors in climate action. As argued by political theorists Laclau and Mouffe, creating social change depends on how people are mobilized in an increasingly complex environment. They contend that such complexity means we can no longer view climate struggle as a binary conflict. Instead, we must initiate inclusive discourses capable of uniting diverse social groups under a common cause.
A study by ClimateXChange examining the impact of climate change on population groups in Scotland found that minority populations and socially vulnerable individuals (across all ethnicities) are disproportionately affected. It is also important to note that those living in remote small towns, accessible rural areas, and other urban areas face significantly higher risks than average. Furthermore, it has been shown that many individuals who are on low income and are part of a minority population also have reduced adaptive capacity to high temperatures and poor air quality due to the fewer choices they have in terms of goods and services.
With the recent climatic trends and projections, the risks that are faced by Black, Asian, and other minority groups are set to increase more rapidly than others. Many people that are socially vulnerable – older adults, young children, people in long-term ill-health – are also susceptible to harm from a range of environmental hazards. This shows the importance of mobilizing a wide range of people if we are to buck the trend.
Recognizing these vulnerabilities underscores the need for a holistic approach that connects environmental goals with social and economic realities. Therefore, coalescing to build a long-term consensus on climate action in Scotland must transcend its long-held environmental-only focus; it must also consider a holistic approach that connects with everyone’s everyday challenges. Future efforts must also embrace cross-cutting issues across socio-economic and ethnic divides. It is entirely possible for climate action to address social injustices and economic issues while also safeguarding human health - making society fairer, more affordable, and healthier for everyone in Scotland.
Moreover, this inclusive vision must also address structural inequalities, such as the triple injustice faced by disadvantaged households. This triple injustice is where a household makes relatively small contributions to national carbon emissions but disproportionately pays for the policies to reduce the country’s total emissions.
A durable coalition must be created, and sustained as the call for adaptation efforts intensify across different quarters of the Scottish public. The integration of the social, cultural and environmental dimensions must be deliberate as we seek inclusive climate action. The quest for social justice must undoubtedly consider those groups that rely on the natural environment but may be more or less able to adapt to predicted climate disruptions and disasters. It must also address the feelings of antagonism that challenge a system that has perpetuated an unequal distribution of responsibility for emissions, making vulnerable groups suffer disproportionately.
Forging a united front…
In sum, these efforts must and should converge on a single imperative, which is forging a united front for climate justice. The future of environmental and climate action requires government attention to the many worries of the marginalized across Scotland. These issues are cross-cutting and are similar everywhere in the country. Crucial among these concerns are the social injustices and economic uncertainties already being faced.
It is important that we carefully reflect and do some deep soul-searching when it comes to the possible futures before us and what role everyone has to play. As such, our future requires the formation of collectives, those with distinct issues and priorities, but who share parallel struggles against inequality and subordination.
In the coming years, Scotland will experience warmer, wetter winters, with more intense rainfall events. Climate action must be tackled through fair transitions at both local and global levels through a combination of self-reliance and common interest. With the possibilities of Scotland nearly surpassing a 2 degrees Celsius average temperature increase in the next three decades if emissions continue to soar, the impact this will have on vulnerable populations will be totally unforgivable.
Looking ahead, the projected climate impacts make this united front not just desirable, but indispensable. Therefore, it is important for us to focus on building a united approach that is grounded in the belief that climate action can benefit us all, as it particularly addresses everyone’s pressing needs. Furthermore, we must build such an approach through an unflinching understanding of the impacts of climate-related crises and the need to protect marginalized communities from the otherwise inevitable climate perils. Lastly, we must forge a new way forward, one that embraces the plurality of all but does not reject the similarity of struggles, and one that perseveres even when faced with a deeply troubling sectarian agenda.
Abiola Durodola is the Environmental Projects Coordinator at CEMVO Scotland and the co-founder of AdvoKC. Abiola has a strong interest in social, housing, and environmental justice.
The opinions and experiences presented in guest articles are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center.
