Cities & Local Authorities

We work with cities and regions to combat climate change and improve air quality, both in the UK and internationally.

We work at the sub-national level to assist municipalities, local authorities and cities to collect, measure and analyse evidence of emissions and the potential impact of local action on emission reduction.

Aether offers bespoke modelling solutions underpinned by decades of experience to support cities and local authorities with Climate Emergency declarations, Covenant of Mayors reporting requirements and evidence base development for climate action plans.

We work with associates internationally to ensure our expertise can be applied universally.

For more information contact Katie King, Director

Core services

Carbon baseline and climate emergency planning

It is widely recognised that responding to the climate emergency and reaching net zero will require cross government cooperation, and that cities and local authorities are well placed to influence action to reduce emissions in buildings, surface transport and waste.

Aether has a suite of tools and detailed understanding of local emission data sets.  Aether staff have been involved in the development of the BEIS Local CO2 emission dataset since 2005 so we are well positioned to support Local Authorities to understand their carbon baseline and to model pathways for climate emergency planning.

Local Authorities hold the best knowledge of the needs of their citizens and opportunities in their area.  We work together with key stakeholders, prioritising and quantifying key policies and measures then presenting data in a logical and useable way to inform decisions.

Read more

Section icon

Local air quality management & low emissions strategies

Aether is a leading expert in Local Air Quality Management (LAQM), with previous active involvement in the review of local authority review and assessment reports for Defra. We have provided independent expert review to GLA concerning air quality aspects within relevant planning applications and undertake many of our own air quality assessments for property developers and industry.  We are therefore extremely well placed to assist with:

Section icon

Case studies

Climate Adaptation Plans Review for Scottish Public Bodies

Aether have provided an overview of the state of play of climate adaptation planning for Scottish Public Bodies. The study, commissioned by ClimateXChange (CXC) on behalf of the Scottish Government, aimed to facilitate understanding and learnings on gaps in public body reporting on adaptation, including gaps in information on costs and benefits. 

Risk Assessment and Climate Action Planning with Staffordshire County Council

Aether supported Staffordshire County Council to develop a climate change risk assessment and climate adaptation and mitigation action plans. The aim of the project was to provide a rapid, independent review of the council's work and to provide recommendations to strengthen the actions that the council would ultimately commit to.

Adaptation and Mitigation Planning for Tamworth Borough Council

Aether, in partnership with SE2 and Mesh, delivered a package of work to support Tamworth Borough Council to develop an evidence-based climate change adaptation strategy and mitigation action plan.

Runnymede Borough Council Climate Change Study

Aether, in partnership with Land Use Consultants (LUC), delivered a package of works to support Runnymede Borough Council’s (RBC) review of the 2030 Local Plan with a view to introducing stronger policies to address the impacts of climate change.

Ealing Council Climate Action Plan Multi-Criteria Analysis

Aether developed a multi-criteria analysis of Ealing Council’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy (CEES) to support the Council with prioritisation and delivery of climate actions to reach their 2030 target of carbon neutrality.

Testimonial

Don't just take our word for it...

“ Chris was excellent to work with and always very pro active in making suggestions, taking work forward and applying his considerable technical knowledge in effective ways. ”

Robert Vaughan, Defra Air Quality Team

“ We have worked with Aether since 2019 to baseline, and subsequently update, our council and borough greenhouse gas inventories. It is a pleasure working with Aether’s professional, responsive, collaborative and helpful team. ”

Merton Council

“ Saint Lucia embraces the professional approach with which this project was undertaken by Aether, particularly their ability to develop mentorship relations with local government experts. This provides a basis for ensuring that the pool of local experts remain engaged and recognized over successive processes. ”

Annette Rattigan-Leo, Chief Sustainable Development and Environment Officer

“ I must congratulate each of you for your professional and tireless efforts. Let me point out that this has been the 'neatest' in-country review expert review team I have coordinated, and it has been a real pleasure. ”

UNFCCC Secretariat

“ Professional team and very collaborative communication. Effective result in terms of suggestions for improvement in the quality of the inventory and proposals on how to streamline specific topics. ”

Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research

“ A heartfelt thank you to all the Aether team for this very comprehensive review – this is certainly turning out to be one of the most beneficial capacity building projects I have ever been involved in. ”

Saviour Vassallo, Senior Environment Protection Officer, Malta Resources Authority

Clients

DEFRA Logo EEA Logo Keep Scotland Beautiful Logo Kier Logo States of Jersey Logo TFEIP Logo Aberdeenshire Council Logo Aberdeen City Council Logo Bowmer & Kirkland Logo Environment Agency of Iceland Logo Weston Homes Logo Oxfordshire CC Logo Berkeley Logo Oxford City Council Logo

Contact us

Get in touch

Call us on +44 1865 259 200, complete the short form below, or go to the Contact page

Aether would like to keep in touch with you via email with news and updates. Please be assured that we'll treat your information with the utmost care and will not share it with other companies for marketing purposes. See our privacy policy.

Newsletter