Climate change and sustainability services
Human-driven climate change is disrupting water cycles
Human-driven climate change is disrupting water cycles. As global average temperatures rise, a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapour, increasing the likelihood of heavier rainfall during some periods and longer dry spells in others. These combined issues can lead to many water-related risks that need to be adapted to and mitigated against, such as more frequent and severe floods and droughts, as well as impacts such as landslides, storms, heat waves, wildfires and waterborne-disease outbreaks.
This presents a challenge for those responsible for water management and infrastructure providers, as well as the businesses and ecosystems that depend on a reliable quality water supply. The UK is already experiencing change. Winters are now wetter than they used to be and summer heatwaves and extended dry periods are become more frequent and intense.
WRc
General enquiries
Adapting to the physical and transition risks is crucial
These shifts are no longer anomalies; they are becoming the new normal, meaning new complex water management challenges that require different strategic and technical solutions are required. And since greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere for a long time, the challenges presented by climate change will continue to grow for decades to come.
Even with rapid emissions cuts today, water companies, regulators and businesses need to adapt to the physical and transition risks that are caused by an ever-shifting climate.
What are physical risks?
Physical climate risks arise from the direct effects of climate change on people, assets, infrastructure and ecosystems. For example, more frequent and intense rainfall can overwhelm drainage systems and increase flood damage to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure.
What are transition risks?
Transition risks arise from the economic, regulatory, technological and market changes associated with the shift to a low-carbon and more sustainable economy. For example, changes in environmental regulation may require new investment in infrastructure, operations or reporting systems.
Sustainability
While climate change is the defining challenge of our time, it is only one part of a much wider and interconnected sustainability agenda. Organisations are simultaneously facing pressure to reduce their environmental impacts, strengthen their resilience and demonstrate their social value.
Water is a common thread that connects many of the issues together. Since water underpins the economy, when water systems come under pressure, the impacts can be felt in public health, industry, food production and ecosystems.
Environment and nature
Environment and nature
Many ecosystems face increasing pressure from pollution, habitat loss, climate change and resource use. Organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate how they manage impacts on biodiversity, water quality and natural capital, while supporting environmental recovery.
Resources, energy and circularity
Resources, energy and circularity
Population growth and economic development are increasing demand for water, energy and raw materials. Opportunities exist to recover resources, reuse water, reduce energy consumption and adopt circular economy approaches that create both environmental and commercial value.
Social impact
Social impact
Organisations that understand the needs of their communities are often well placed to build trust, strengthen resilience and maintain their social licence to operate.
How can WRc help you?
We are a team that delivers meaningful and impactful work that makes a tangible positive difference in the real world. We are recognised for delivering projects that don’t compromise on quality and deliver value. We care deeply about the impact of our work, which enables us to develop and thrive as a team, and we act as champions of water awareness, helping to put water on the agenda for those who are not yet ‘water-aware’.
We aim to be the sustainability consultancy of choice for organisations in the UK where, water is a critical or growing concern.
What makes us different
Our heritage in water goes back nearly a century. We combine deep technical expertise with strategic insight across the full water cycle, from catchments and ecosystems to infrastructure, regulation and customer outcomes. This breadth enables us to connect issues that are often treated separately, helping organisations understand how climate, sustainability, resilience and water-related risks interact in practice. Few consultancies offer the same combination of specialist water knowledge, research capability and real-world delivery experience.
Enhance your climate and sustainability strategiesOur core offerings
This is our flagship service. Some sustainability challenges do not have off-the-shelf answers. Our research teams help clients tackle complex questions, develop new evidence and build the knowledge needed to support confident decisions. We provide independent, evidence-based research grounded in real-world application.
Adaptation involves preparing for the impacts of a changing climate and reducing vulnerability to future risks. We help organisations understand climate risks, evaluate options and develop practical adaptation strategies that improve long-term resilience.
Resilience is the ability of systems, organisations and communities to anticipate, withstand and recover from disruption. We help clients strengthen resilience across assets, operations, services and supply chains.
Mitigation focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing the causes of climate change. We help organisations identify opportunities to reduce emissions, support net zero ambitions and develop evidence-based decarbonisation pathways.
We provide carbon footprinting, greenhouse gas inventories, carbon accounting and decision-support tools to help organisations understand and reduce their emissions.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks help organisations and investors understand, manage and report their impacts, risks and opportunities. As climate risks intensify and investor expectations evolve, water is emerging as one of the most material sustainability issues across many sectors. We help clients identify the water-related issues that matter most, develop robust evidence and strengthen ESG reporting and decision-making.
- Climate adaptation and resilience: Climate risk assessments, adaptation strategies, resilience planning, options appraisal, flood prevention and risk reduction, nature-based solutions and engineered solutions
- Resource efficiency: Carbon assessments, circular economy and resource recovery
- Social impact: Stakeholder engagement, affordability and behaviour change
- Water resources: Catchment management, desalination, drought risk reduction and water reuse
- Water quality: Water quality testing and predictions, water reuse, combined sewer overflows monitoring, PFAS and emerging contaminants, microplastics and nanoplastics
- Marine and coastal sustainability: Marine biodiversity and sustainability, marine accounting, coastal community impact assessments and desalination
Who we have supported
We have worked with leading businesses, water companies, local authorities, government agencies and international organisations across the spectrum of services.
Climate adaptation and resilience
- Trinity House: Climate change impact assessment
- Uisce Éireann (Irish Water), Isles of Scilly and Isle of Mann: Climate change adaptation plans
Resource efficiency
- UKWIR: Carbon accounting workbook
- Affinity Water: Rainwater harvesting and water reuse
Water resources and water quality
- MOSL: Water-efficient data centres
- Defra: Storm overflow discharge reduction plan
- PFAS: PFAS and emerging contaminants expert forum
- Environment Agency: River deep mountain AI
Marine and coastal sustainability
- Anglian water: Desalination environmental assessment
- Global Ocean Accounts Partnership: Consulting to national statistics offices (Belize, Ghana)
Unlock smarter strategies
We help turn complex challenges into efficient and sustainable opportunities.
Let’s build your strategy