Air, land and water

Ricardo is working with governments, cities, local authorities, airports, ports and businesses around the world to deliver improvements in air quality where it matters most. 

For over 70 years, we have delivered market-leading measurement, modelling, and emissions inventory compilation and reporting for air quality pollutants and greenhouse gases. We established, and are the custodians of, the UK national air quality information archive. This programme has provided the key evidence which supports internationally leading air quality policy, legislation and technical resources in the UK and Europe.

We are building on this to share our expertise with cities and national governments worldwide, with substantial air quality policy, monitoring, modelling and capacity programmes in the Gulf region, throughout Asia, South America and Africa. We work in partnership with international funding agencies, city and national authorities and civil society organisations to deliver cleaner air quality for many of the world’s most vulnerable people.

Agriculture and land-based industries are contributors to climate change and face multiple threats from our changing climate. At the same time the sector is uniquely placed to offer solutions delivering sustainability and resilience throughout supply chains – for food, fibre, biofuels and bioeconomy – as well as enable rural communities to thrive.  

Ricardo recognises the need to link land and water management through integrated catchment management solutions. We provide development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nature-based solutions for clients with interests in agricultural and land-based activities, and landholdings that can support better land and associated water management for businesses, society and the environment.   

Clients across business and government have benefited from our help to improve GHG emissions inventory data, assess bioenergy crops viability, calculate climate benefit of EU Common Agricultural Policy plans, understand carbon stock changes for crop production and potential opportunities to reduce emissions, improve carbon sequestration, and understand natural capital opportunities. And as one of the biggest deliverers of advice through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, Ricardo has also helped over a thousand farmers adapt their businesses to cope with these changes. This includes mitigating physical risks such as flooding and drought, as well as building a low-carbon supply chain to meet customers’ expectations for sustainable products.

Our nature advisory services go beyond agriculture and land to support a wide range of public and private sector clients with natural capital, biodiversity and ecosystem service assessments and valuation, development of nature metrics and nature-based solutions, and advice on nature markets and nature reporting and disclosure.

In a context of increasing uncertainty and scarcity, governments, regulators, NGOs, water utilities, businesses and investors are grappling with the critical challenge of ensuring safe, sustainable and secure access to water, while also supporting water dependent ecosystems and cultural values.

As market-leading water advisors, we help you to navigate water challenges and make better decisions across water management, regulation, markets, and infrastructure. We offer integrated services in policy, strategy, evaluation, economic analysis, pricing, asset management, environmental monitoring and science, ecology, engineering solutions, and digital solutions. 

Our team is proud to work on some of the most important issues and challenges facing the world and we are excited by the impact we can deliver through the work we do.