UK > Regions, local & cities > Consultancy Capability > Regional and local sustainable development
Regional and local sustainable development
Sustainable consumption and production is a key strategic priority for policy-makers.
The government is committed to long-term targets in CO2 reduction and has set carbon budgets out to 2022 on the advice of the Committee on Climate Change. Regions and local bodies are being increasingly called on by central government to provide added value in delivering sustainable development and many have identified per capita reductions in CO2 emissions as a key target in regional strategies and Local Area Agreements.
Regional and local bodies are therefore having to address the increasingly important but complex issue of how changes in economic activity might impact on the environment, in terms of pollution, climate change and on the use of natural resources as well as the impact that international, national and sector-based initiatives focused on achieving environmental outcomes will have on economic development opportunities.
Tools and competence
CE provides core expertise in using modelling and statistical analysis to support strategic planning and policy analysis together with broad and deep appreciation of policy environment. Specifically, we offer
- an established national and international reputation for understanding the links between the economy, energy and the environment and for analysing regional and industrial structural change
- rigorous and detailed analysis, combining formal modelling and other statistical techniques with vital qualitative information
- the wider perspective within which particular policies or strategies are operating, a context that is easily overlooked in sector or policy-specific analysis
- REEIO, a model developed specifically for, and with, the UK Environment Agency, Regional Development Agencies, Regional Assemblies and the National Assembly for Wales to provide policy makers with a firm basis on which to assess the impact of regional policies and programmes on the environment.
- projections of energy use and CO2 emissions in local areas that take account of future patterns of economic development, underlying trends in energy use and an assessment of the impact of national energy policies.
The development and application of REEIO has been central in much of our work in the regional environment arena. However, our experience in this field is much broader, as these examples of projects we have undertaken recently indicate.
For more information about our expertise in related areas, see:
Regional and local economic development
Energy and environment
For further information email:
Anthony Barker
Director