Markets

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.

Case studies

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:

The development of annual reporting programmes under LAQM including Annual Status Reports
Independent expert review of air quality assessments
The design and implementation of Low Emission Strategies

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.

Luton Council Net Zero Roadmap and Climate Policy and Action Plan

Aether, alongside SE2 and associate Joanne Wade, developed a Net Zero Roadmap and Climate Policy and Action Plan to support the council in its vision of a net zero town by 2040.

Railfreight Energy and Emissions Calculator (REEC)

REEC is the first tool for the UK that can calculate, to a high level of granularity and accuracy, the energy usage and resulting emissions for a specified freight train configuration travelling on specified routes on the GB rail network.

Merton Council Climate Emergency Support

Aether and SE2 supported Merton Council in developing their action plan to meet targets to decarbonise the Council by 2030 and the borough of Merton by 2050

Lewisham Route to Neutral

Support to Lewisham Council to define the route to carbon neutral for the Borough

City of London Air Quality Data Visualisation

Aether developed an online, interactive data visualisation for the City of London that could be used by policy makers and the general public to explore data and information on air quality. Topics covered include air pollutant emissions, bus fleet emission control technologies and the health impacts of air pollution.

Surrey Air Quality for Schools Programme

Aether, in partnership with London Sustainability Exchange (LSx), Surrey Air Alliance and Surrey County Council, has helped to create and implement a Cleaner Air for Schools Programme in Surrey.

Oxford Sustainability Index

Aether was appointed to develop a Sustainability Index for Oxford, comparing the city’s performance with others.

North East Scotland sustainable energy action plan

Aether led the development of the North East Scotland Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) for Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Angus and Moray.

Testimonials

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

“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

“Aether delivered training workshops and generated learning materials for our SSN members, providing technical content in a manageable and comprehendible format. We particularly benefitted from their extensive knowledge and ability to interpret the needs of our members into the training materials.”

Jennifer Anderson, Sustainable Scotland Network

“The Aether team were a joy to work with and I would recommend the consultancy - the service provided throughout the process was exceptional.”

Clare Bayley, Defra

“The Aether team were a joy to work with and I would recommend the consultancy - the service provided throughout the process was exceptional. Where there were problems, they provided solutions. The team were working to very short time scales but were able to deliver a high quality piece of work within the specified time frame.”

Sefton Council - for the Merseyside Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

“The professional service provided by your company was of very high quality and completed within agreed timelines.”

Matthew Dudley, UNFCCC Secretariat

“Aether is a great partner for work in the area of European Air Emissions. The team was committed, reliable, well organised and had a deep technical understanding and motivated other partners with their good spirit.”

Umweltbundesamt: Environment Agency Austria

“We have been collaborating with Aether for several years, and our projects have greatly benefited from it. Aether staff are very knowledgeable, professional and flexible - and last but not least, very friendly and a pleasure to work with.”

Umhverfisstofnun, Environment Agency of Iceland

“Aether's approach to couple innovative visualisation with high expertise manpower delivered valuable insights for our inventory work.”

Umweltbundesamt (Germany)

“Both the face-to-face training and the online version have been of high quality, with dynamic methods and a practical orientation that have allowed students to reach a solid knowledge base. The products have been delivered within the stipulated deadlines with an excellent quality and the team has always shown willingness to make adjustments according to the requirements of CONAF. We are very satisfied with the work. ”

Javier Cano Martín, Professional Unit for Climate Change and Environmental Services, CONAF (National Forestry Corporation), Chile

“Engaging Aether to support us to develop the first GHG Inventory System and first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the United Republic of Tanzania has been a rewarding experience due to their high level of professionalism, creativity, timeliness and value for money. We will definitely consider Aether in our future initiatives.”

Abbas Kitogo, Programme Specialist Energy and Climate Change, UNDP Tanzania

Clients