South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), the economic and community development agency for Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, wanted to strengthen its organisational resilience to climate change and meet growing expectations on public bodies to assess and manage climate risks. The organisation was particularly interested in understanding how climate impacts could affect its main offices, staff travel and continuity of operations.
CAG Consultants was commissioned to design and facilitate the first phase of an organisational climate change risk assessment, aligned with Adaptation Scotland’s Adaptation Capability Framework and the Guide to Strategic Climate Change Risk Assessment.
We began with a targeted evidence review, using downscaled climate projections and publicly available flood and weather data to create a concise climate scenarios pack for the organisation’s key sites over the short, medium and longer term. This was complemented by interviews with staff responsible for property, facilities, health and safety, HR and client‑facing services, to capture recent climate‑related disruptions and existing responses.
Using this evidence, we designed and ran an interactive in‑person workshop with a cross‑section of staff and managers. The session provided a clear overview of projected climate changes in the region, before guiding participants through structured exercises to identify and prioritise climate risks and opportunities for their sites, staff and services.
Following the workshop, CAG synthesised the findings into a draft climate risk register that SOSE can apply to future property decisions and wider risk management. This first phase has given the organisation a practical starting point for climate adaptation: a shared understanding of key climate hazards, a set of priority themes for action, and tools it can use to extend and maintain its climate risk assessment in‑house over time.
For more information please contact: Ailsa Gibson (ag@cagconsult.co.uk)