A Novel Impact Assessment Methodology for Evaluating Distributional Impacts in Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Policy

Abstract

While it is widely recognised that the impacts of both climate change and the policy response will be distributed, there is an absence of complete information regarding the socio-economic and geographic patterning of such impacts in the intra-national context. This paper seeks to address this gap, presenting a climate justice toolkit (indicator set and guidance) that enables the consistent assessment of distributional impacts of climate policy, and thus allows cumulative impacts to be assessed across the broad suites of policies that comprise national adaptation programmes. The objective in so doing is to inform the selection of appropriate policy options and to identify situations where supplementary policy may be required to redress negative or inequitable impacts.Drawing on a pilot impact assessment of the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme, this paper discusses the rationale behind the development of a climate justice indicator set and presents a guide to the screening of large policy suites for potential cumulative impacts across communities of living (households) and working (private and public sectors). The methodological perspectives discussed can be useful in studies of climate change and social issues elsewhere, particularly in assessing the likely 'winners' and 'losers' of policy implementations.

Addressing multi-dimensional injustice in indigenous adaptation: the case of Uganda’s Batwa community

“…For example, increasing deprivation and exclusion caused by societal status and the impacts of climate change may also impact on people's ability to be included and participate in decision-making. Accordingly, research has shown that those who are most likely to be affected by climate change are also those who are usually excluded and less able to participate in decision-making, and therefore further reducing their capacity to adapt to extreme events (Lindley et al, 2011;Dunk et al, 2016;Tan et al, 2015). In that sense, concerns of recognition and participation are interrelated in our case, hence we analyse these issues together (also following Martin et al, 2013Martin et al, , 2015.…”

“…In particular, there are still gaps on how climate adaptation responses consider disaggregated impacts and socially just outcomes amid pre-existing social inequality. It is thus necessary to consider that besides the direct impacts of climate change, adaptation responses too can be unevenly distributed and unequally shared (Dunk et al, 2016;Lindley et al, 2011;Marino & Ribot, 2012).…”