Aether News

Project win: Barbados GHGI

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Aether is working with Engain on a project to produce Barbados’ Second National Communications Report.

Aether’s primary role is the development of the greenhouse gas inventory. The work-stream has 2 main objectives:

1. To support the national compilation of an updated greenhouse gas inventory for use in the National Communication.

2. Formulate a national data collection, reporting and analysis framework that would institutionalise the GHG assessment process and the ease of preparation of future Communications to the UNFCCC.

The work will be carried out over the remainder of 2012.

Project win: W Midlands Air quality assessment

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Aether has been asked to undertake an air quality assessment for the proposed installation of a biomass boiler at a major supermarket in the West Midlands. The project will use AERMOD to predict the resulting nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter concentrations at ground level and compare these with the National Air Quality Strategy Objectives.

Project win: Oxford air quality and climate change emissions

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Aether is working with consultants AEA to develop an integrated framework for air quality and climate change emissions data for Oxford City Council. This framework will be used by the Council to provide evidence of impacts of measures undertaken in the city to reduce emissions and to help make decisions on future impacts including reviewing the Oxford Low Emissions Strategy.

Aether is also preparing a report on carbon emissions data for the City. This will include data from the 23 Pathfinder organisations who have signed the Low Carbon Oxford Charter. The report will also describe some key actions being taken by the Pathfinders and will be used to encourage other organisations to sign the Charter.

Project win: LESP LET review

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Aether and AQ Consultants have been awarded a contract by the Low Emission Strategy Partnership to review the Low Emission Toolkit and accompanying documentation and the National Assessment Report. The work will be completed by June.

The LET is an excel based tool which can be used to assess the costs and emission benefits of low emission transport interventions. The National Assessment Report makes the national case for the adoption of low emission strategies. For further information please see: http://www.lowemissionstrategies.org/

Chris Dore appointed to AQEG

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Chris Dore has been appointed to the UK Government Air Quality Expert Group. AQEG is a long standing expert committee reporting to Defra that provides independent scientific advice on air quality, and in particular the air pollutants contained in the UK Air Quality Strategy. The group publishes several reports a year, which provide a detailed technical insight into different aspects of air quality in the UK, and support Defra with their policy development.

Project win: Air quality assessment

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Aether has been asked to undertake an air quality assessment for a proposed development of 76 residential units in Southwark and Lambeth. Both London Local Authorities have declared Air Quality Management Areas, primarily due to high levels of traffic congestion and therefore it is important that air quality is assessed to ensure that the resident's of the new development will not be subjected to high pollutant concentrations.

The project will use the dispersion model Breeze Roads to model the impact of the surrounding traffic on air pollutant concentrations and recommend ways to mitigate the impact, if appropriate.

Research consultant vacancy

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Aether is a growing consultancy specialising in air quality and greenhouse gas emission inventories and environmental data systems. We are looking for a Research Consultant to be based at our Milton Park office in Oxfordshire.

Job Description
The successful candidate will be highly numerate, confident and attentive to detail. You will be encouraged to challenge ideas and to innovate in order to help us grow our business. The role will involve a wide range of projects which will require data processing, desk based research, and the development of new products and ideas in the air quality and climate change fields. Project work will be focused at the local, national or international scale and may include international travel and working at customer sites. The position provides the opportunity to work for our customers in Governments and international organisations on high level policy support and policy formation, as well as research work.

Required Skills
• Applicants should have a good relevant degree, preferably at the Masters level
• Excellent numerical and data handling skills within MS Excel are essential
• Experience of using GIS or database software would be beneficial
• An understanding of air pollution is expected, to support our emissions modelling work
• Good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise work are desirable

Aether
Aether offers a friendly working environment and excellent opportunities for those making a significant contribution to the company. Aether operates as a carbon neutral company, financially incentivises staff to use environmentally sound modes of transport for business travel, and is based in an environmentally sound building.

Application
Applicants should provide a CV, and a covering letter that includes the following:
• An overview of experience in the areas of air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.
• A description of data handling capabilities, and examples of use in projects.

Please send the details to Chris Dore at: recruit@aether-uk.com

All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK.
No Agency applications please.

Project win: DA energy datasets

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Aether is leading new work for DECC to identify, review and assess available energy datasets that could be used to improve the UK and Devolved Administrations greenhouse gas inventories. The project team consists of Aether and AEA, who have a thorough understanding of the current data limitations and the current methods employed to derive the DA datasets. The project will primarily focus on solid and liquid fuels.

The aims of the project are to:

1. Identify new and existing energy consumption datasets that could be used to improve the UK and DA inventories

2. Map out how existing data flows through the DA inventories

3. Review potential new datasets to assess their usefulness

4. Outline methods that could be used to integrate data into an improved UK and DA inventory.

Project win: ESD review

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Aether have had a major role in the winning consortium for a large EU contract to review Member States Greenhouse Gas emissions inventories in 2012. This review will help to determine the baselines for agreeing targets under the Effort Sharing Decision. Justin Goodwin has brought together a strong team of over 20 trained experts and will have a prominent role in co-ordinating the work for this review in June 2012.

Project win: Review of the effectiveness of Air Quality Action Plans

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Aether and Air Quality Consultants have won a Defra contract to review the effectiveness of Local Authority Air Quality Action Plans and future policy options for Local Air Quality Management. The team is expected to report its findings in April next year.

The project will review the outcomes of the action planning process to date and try to identify the extent to which the implemented measures have been successful in reducing emissions/concentrations, and to what extent the process has been hampered by issues beyond the authority’s control. A main component of the project will be to advise Defra on alternative approaches that could be used to improve the implementation and effectiveness of action plans. The project will also review the existing Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) reporting cycle and identify whether the reporting burden could be reduced, whilst retaining the valuable contribution to LAQM that the process currently delivers.

Project win: Contribution to the 2010 Ireland inventory

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Aether have won another contract to help the Irish EPA compile their national emissions inventory (Aether provided technical support to the EPA to help with the emissions inventory last year). Emma Salisbury will be based in Monaghan, working with the EPA inventory team. The contract this year includes the compilation of emission maps for Ireland, and Aether are subcontracting AEA to help with the GIS aspects of the project work.

Project win: UK's NAEI

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Aether are pleased to be part of the winning team for the UK's National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory for the next 3 years. The AEA bid, complemented by Aether, provides Defra and DECC with a highly experienced team.

The NAEI is the official emissions inventory of air quality and greenhouse gas pollutants within the UK. It is used to monitor progress towards national and international targets as well as forming the basis for many emissions related policy decisions. Aether's main contributions will be to lead international knowledge sharing across Europe on emission inventories, support quality control processes in the compilation of emissions data and to lead the compilation of the emission inventories for the Devolved Administrations. For more information see the NAEI website.

2011 Carbon Show

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Aether will be exhibiting at the Carbon Show which takes place at the Business Design Centre in London on Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st October.

There will be demonstrations of our Environment Tools Directory website and our own branded cup cakes to give away. Please come and see us at Stand 23!

Project win: Worcestershire

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Aether is working with Worcestershire County Council to assess options for meeting carbon reduction targets for 2025 and 2050. Aether will draw on over 10 years experience of emissions estimates for local authorities and calculating emissions projections to provide state of the art data and methods for scenario analysis. The carbon reduction scenarios will describe priorities for a range of local domestic, commercial and transport measures together with the predicted effects of national policies.

Project win: Air quality assessment

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Aether has been asked to undertake an air quality assessment for a proposed development of approximately 300 dwellings in Reading. The site lies close to an Air Quality Management Area and therefore it is important that the impact of the development is assessed. The study will use the dispersion model Breeze Roads to assess the air quality both without and with development and make appropriate recommendations.

Turkey emissions inventory

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Chris Dore has been making numerous trips to Turkey to establish a national emissions inventory for the National Emissions Ceilings Directive. Chris explained that there is a lot of investment being made in Turkey at the moment, as they try to bring their systems up to scratch for their application to join the EU.

The inventory is currently in the design phase, and Chris has been assessing the data availability and the most sensible infrastructure. The data handling and compilation will come across the next few months.

Emissions of PM0.1 and nanomaterials

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0100

At the beginning of June, Chris Dore and Emma Salisbury helped to run a workshop on PM0.1 emissions for the European Commission. There is an ever increased focus on the finer end of the PM spectrum, and the EC want to better understand the emissions arising from industrial activities. Aether’s role in the project has been to compile emission estimates for the EU27, and review the knowledge on the behaviour of ultrafine particles in the atmosphere. The project also includes research into the release of manufactured nanomaterials.

Flexibility mechanisms and the Gothenburg Protocol

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:47:00 +0100

As part of their work on the UN/ECE’s Taskforce on Emissions Inventories and Projections, Aether are leading the compilation of a technical report assessing the feasibility of including flexibility in the Gothenburg Protocol. “Our understanding of emissions is constantly developing.” explained Chris. “Sometimes this can mean substantial revisions, which potentially impact on compliance with national ceilings and targets. As a result, Governments can be ‘caught out’ through no fault of their own. There is a lot of sense in including mechanisms in the formal reporting which helps Governments predict whether they are on track. However we need to make sure that we aren’t creating ‘loopholes’, and that the process is transparent. There are a lot of different options to assess, and there is no simple answer!”

Project win: Air quality assessment

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Aether has been asked to undertake an air quality assessment for a proposed development of approximately 400 dwellings and 1,000 metres of communal facility space in Canada Water in London. The project will assess the pollutant concentrations arising from potential additional traffic and an energy centre using detailed dispersion modelling and make recommendations as to how to mitigate the impact if required.

TFEIP meeting in Stockholm

Fri, 06 May 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Aether staff recently returned from the UNECE Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections (TFEIP) annual meeting, which this year was held in Stockholm. The meeting was attended by over 100 emission inventory experts from Europe and EECCA countries. Chris chaired the meeting, Melanie chaired the projections expert panel meeting and Justin gave two presentations: A review of Informative Inventory Reports (IIRs) submitted in 2011 and investigating the links between GMES and emission inventories. GMES stands for Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security and it is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Space Agency, which aims at achieving an autonomous earth observation capacity. In addition, Emma Salisbury gave a presentation in the Combustion and Industry expert panel session on the work that Aether are doing for the European Commission on estimating emissions of ultrafine particles.