CAG Consultants supported the Climate Ready South East Scotland initiative to assess climate risks and opportunities for the region. This critical work will help local communities, businesses, and authorities better prepare for a changing climate by providing detailed summaries of climate risks relevant to areas in South East Scotland. 

The project, led by Adaptation Scotland , involved data collection and engagement with partners across Edinburgh, East Lothian, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, and West Lothian. It aligned with national and regional strategies, including the UK Climate Risk Assessment and the Edinburgh City Deal. 

Our role was to gather and analyse a broad range of evidence, including formal reports, academic research, local insights, Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting in the region, and Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP) reports.

Objectives Achieved

From this evidence base, we developed detailed risk descriptions for 48 climate risks and opportunities across five different sectors. These summaries addressed: 

• The current level of risk or opportunity
• The future level of risk or opportunity
• Whether the risk/opportunity is being managed or adapted to
• Potential benefits from further action within the next five years, beyond what is already planned

This localised evidence base developed during the project is critical for informing adaptation actions tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities faced by the region. 

“The CAG team did a great job synthesising and rationalising a large amount of evidence to produce a clear, referenceable system of climate risk descriptions as part of the fast paced, complex Climate Ready South East Scotland Economic Assessment of Climate Risks and Opportunities programme. We couldn’t have done it better ourselves.” 

We’re proud to have contributed to this initiative and look forward to seeing how it supports the region’s climate readiness. 

For further information, please contact Ailsa Gibson at ag@cagconsult.co.uk