Measuring the impact of climate policy on health outcomes in Scotland
Climate policies in Scotland address both mitigation – reducing greenhouse gas emissions – and adaptation – preparing for climate impacts. Many of these policies will directly or indirectly affect health through housing, transport, the built and natural environment, and fair work. Policies that promote fairness and equity can improve health and reduce inequalities, while poorly designed or implemented policies could harm or cause inequality to widen.
This report provides the first Scotland-wide stocktake of evidence and research expertise on how climate policies affect health and health equity. It aims to summarise the evidence, consider how health and equity impacts can be monitored, and identify research expertise to help build a more connected climate and health research community.
Findings
- A broad but fragmented evidence base: Evidence varies considerably in depth and quality. It is strongest for housing, nature-based solutions, agriculture and food systems, temperature and air quality. Gaps remain in areas such as marine conservation, waste management and water quality.
- Inconsistent concepts and measurement: Health is rarely measured directly and is often considered through wider determinants such as housing and income. Definitions, measures and methods also vary, making findings difficult to compare. Equity is widely recognised but rarely clearly defined or measured.
- Fragmented research and knowledge: Research expertise is dispersed and often lacks visibility, limiting connections between researchers, policymakers and practitioners.
Recommendations
- Develop shared approaches: Establish common definitions and conceptual approaches to health, health equity, vulnerability and resilience, including how climate action affects these outcomes.
- Strengthen monitoring and evaluation: Use a wider and more consistent range of measures to capture health and equity impacts across different places and population groups.
- Address key evidence gaps: Prioritise research on areas including marine conservation, water quality, waste and direct health outcomes, alongside cross-cutting issues such as housing.
- Embed equity in climate action: Assess how climate policies affect different population groups and incorporate health and health equity into relevant impact assessments.
- Strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange: Build connections between Scottish, UK and international researchers, policymakers, practitioners and communities to support collaboration, data sharing and the use of place-based and lived experience.
If you require the report in an alternative format, such as a Word document, please contact info@climatexchange.org.uk or 0131 651 4783.
Additional data outputs
This review is intended to act as a useful starting point for mapping Scottish examples of how the health and health equity impacts of climate policy are assessed. Four additional outputs are intended to help researchers and policymakers situate projects in this research landscape. These are static snapshots capturing activity accessed between October 2025 and March 2026.
Photo by David Dvořáček on Unsplash