Local Climate Impact Profile (LCLIP Scotland)
A Guidance Note for Scotland’s Local Authorities
CC08
March 2009
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

"The LCLIP process has allowed us to look in detail at the impacts of recent weather event in the local area, collecting information that has on the whole never been analysed in relation to climate change considerations before. While individual past events can’t be linked specifically to climate change, being aware of the implications that they had for local people will allow us to reflect on how we respond to such events and so improve our robustness to future events. The information gathered will be incorporated into our State of the Environment report and used to inform future decision making as our plans, policies, programmes and strategies go through the SEA (strategic environmental assessment) process."

Lorna Jarvie, South Lanarkshire Council

“A Local Climate Impact Profile can form a good starting point to initiate discussions and highlight the implications of previous weather events. It cannot be used as evidence of changing climatic conditions but is useful in demonstrating our ability to cope with weather events. It is important to keep the scope and boundaries of the media search concise, so that the exercise does not become unnecessarily complicated. Although interesting as a stand-alone process, I
feel it is important to have a vision for where, and how, you LCLIP data will be used, so that constructive outcomes can be achieved.”

Ailsa Villegas, Highland Council

Background to the guidance

This project builds upon initial guidance for preparing LCLIPs undertaken by UKCIP, based on innovative work by Oxfordshire County Council and draws experience of preparing LCLIPs both in England and Wales, and more recent experience in four Scottish Local authorities (for the project brief see appendix 1). The purpose of the LCLIP is to assist adaptation efforts of local authorities to improve their resilience to the impacts of climate change, based on their own
experience of dealing with severe weather events.

This guidance will encourage and assist the preparation of LCLIPs by Scottish local authorities, as a contribution to their climate change programmes. This is consistent with both commitments set out in the Scottish Climate Change Declaration and Scottish Government’s steps to prepare a climate change adaptation framework1. This also links with commitments made by Scotland’s principal environmental bodies – SEPA and SNH – on adaptation2.

The guidance will also inform further work being undertaken by UKCIP and English local authorities later in 2009.

Objectives of the guidance
Key findings and recommendations

The report provides ‘stage-by-stage’ guidance to local authorities in Scotland embarking on a Local Climate Impacts Profile (LCLIP).

Key words:   Climate change, adaptation, Local Climate Impacts Profile, LCLIP   Project CC08 - Local Climate Impacts Profile (LCLIP Scotland) – January 2009  Project partners: SEPA, SSN, SNIFFER, the Scottish Government, UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) under the umbrella of the Scottish Climate Change Impacts Partnership (SCCIP).

Copies of this report are available from the Foundation, in electronic format on CDRom at £20.00 + VAT or hard copy at £25.00, less 20% to FWR members.

N.B. The report is available for download from the SNIFFER Website