Environment Analyst

Defence plan commits £298bn; Ofgem backs 16 long-duration storage projects; RAPID consults on wider water infrastructure role Government steps up climate security focus The government has launched a first-of-its-kind climate security taskforce to advise on the national security risks of climate change and nature loss and to identify gaps in the UK's preparedness. It follows the 2025 National Security Strategy's framing of climate and nature loss as core drivers of instability.

Yorkshire Water names 15 firms to a £80m AMP8 framework; AECOM takes eight Scotland Excel lots; Stantec joins EirGrid environmental framework Consultants secure places on £3.5bn government framework The Government Commercial Agency (GCA) has named its suppliers for the Construction Professional Services 2 (CPS2) framework, a primary route for UK public bodies to procure construction and technical consultancy.

SLR, Sweco, APEM Group and Mott MacDonald also acquire firms across the globe AtkinsRéalis steps up acquisitions with Irish and Australian deals AtkinsRéalis has continued an active run of acquisitions, agreeing to buy Irish consultancy TOBIN and Australian defence advisory firm, Coras. This follows its earlier acquisition of Australian engineering consultancy WGA. TOBIN is a Galway-headquartered engineering and project management consultancy with around 200 employees.

US EPA proposes major overhaul of NEPA environmental reviews The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed reforms to the way it implements the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), aiming to make federal environmental reviews faster and more predictable, while leaving environmental standards unchanged, the agency says.

Cross the River Irwell from central Manchester into Salford and head for the Lowry Hotel, and you will follow a column of shiny new high rises, inviting apartment complexes, and a surprising amount of greenery. Not long ago, the same walk would have crossed a network of car parks, attendees at Environment Analyst’s UK Brownfield Regeneration Summit 2026 heard, having convened at the hotel on 18 June.

Cross the River Irwell from central Manchester into Salford and head for the Lowry Hotel, and you will follow a column of shiny new high rises, inviting apartment complexes, and a surprising amount of greenery. Not long ago, the same walk would have crossed a network of car parks, attendees at Environment Analyst’s UK Brownfield Regeneration Summit 2026 heard, having convened at the hotel on 18 June.

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At Environment Analyst's latest UK Business Leaders' Forum, senior leaders from across the environmental and sustainability (E&S) consulting sector shared how their organisations are using AI, what is working, and how it is likely to reshape the consulting model. The discussion took place in Birmingham on 3 June, facilitated by Jon Gibbard, an executive coach with Empowered2, with guest speaker Oliver Cronk, founder of Cronk Advisory.

Ofwat sets out first AI adoption plan Ofwat has published its first artificial intelligence (AI) adoption plan for the water sector, setting out how AI can be deployed safely across water and wastewater services, during the transition to new regulators in England and Wales.

AtkinsRéalis joint venture wins £1.2bn Environment Agency coastal framework A joint venture (JV), including AtkinsRéalis, has been appointed to the Environment Agency's new Beach Management framework, a national programme worth an estimated £1.2bn focused on beach management, coastal maintenance and flood-risk reduction across England.