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Local Climate Action
What is local climate action?
Across the UK, councils, communities and organisations are advancing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and build resilience to a changing climate. Local climate action focuses on the practical, place‑specific steps that can deliver real outcomes for residents. Examples of local action include improving energy efficiency and air quality, investing in better public transport, improving nature, supporting green growth, and ensuring local areas and services are resilient to climate impacts.
Local authority climate action
Aether works closely with local authorities to help them develop meaningful, actionable climate plans. Councils play a vital role in climate action: they understand the needs of their residents, have strong connections to local businesses and communities, and directly influence areas such as planning, housing, transport and waste.
It is vital that the impact of these actions can be demonstrated to local communities, and this requires a strong, evidence‑based approach, long‑term action monitoring, and engagement across public and private sectors. Aether helps decision‑makers prioritise opportunities, coordinate activities and maintain momentum behind their climate commitments.
Understanding the pathways to effective climate action requires a clear view of current emissions and climate risks, local strengths, and the projects with the greatest potential. Aether’s Carbon Scenario Model brings together historical data and analysis of plausible future actions, enabling councils to explore different pathways, assess progress, identify gaps and make informed investment decisions. Combining this with decades of experience, Aether develops bespoke solutions that help local authorities shape, refine and deliver meaningful climate strategies.
The road to climate action
Climate action is most effective when it is integrated across sectors. When developing local climate strategies and plans, Aether supports discussions on feasible pathways balancing ambition, technology, behavioural change and the sequencing of actions needed to deliver lasting change.
Relevant approaches to prioritise actions are already well known, such as the energy, transport and waste hierarchies. These must be supported through local enabling actions which should be set in place early. Aether helps councils connect high-level strategies with workable implementation plans, reviewing current policies and identifying how they can be strengthened to accelerate local climate progress.
Engaging local people is central to achieving real and sustained change. Stakeholder forums and community partnerships help shape priorities and build confidence behind long‑term commitments. Understanding what matters to residents and businesses ensures that local climate action delivers real benefits from cleaner air and warmer homes to improved public spaces and economic opportunities.
Aether also explores the wider impacts of local climate action, identifying co‑benefits such as health improvements, cost savings and job creation. By mapping synergies with other strategic priorities and flagging potential areas of conflict we help councils build cross‑departmental support and ensure smoother, more successful implementation. You can read more about our wider impacts analysis here.
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