Welcome to the summer edition of our newsletter. As Accelar marks seven years of accelerating the green transition, we’re celebrating the impact delivered with our clients and partners - from cutting carbon and assessing climate risks to unlocking nature finance at scale.
Over the past seven years, Accelar has helped to identify reductions in excess of 60,000 tCO2e, assessed over 12,500 km of infrastructure corridors for climate risk, and unlocked blended nature finance opportunities across more than 100,000 hectares of UK land. This milestone also gives us a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come: expanding our team, opening office hubs in Birmingham, London and Manchester, contributing to 12 Landscape Recovery projects, completing carbon verification for a major infrastructure franchise, collaborating on research with the University of Birmingham and the University of Southampton, and being a finalist for Consultancy of the Year at the 2026 UK Green Business Awards. It’s been quite a journey with so much more to come! More recently, we have welcomed two new starters to the team: Melanie Sanders and Erin Connolly, bringing fresh expertise and energy as we continue to grow our climate transition and nature finance work. Alongside this, our purpose to accelerate the green transition feels more relevant than ever. As extreme weather events become increasingly visible, the need to build a more resilient, climate-adapted country is urgent. In this issue, we explore the role nature can play in strengthening climate resilience, as discussed in our latest thought leadership piece. We also share updates from across our projects and team, highlighting the progress, partnerships and ideas shaping Accelar’s work this summer. Chris and Charlene |
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| | | THOUGHT LEADERSHIPThe Future of Transition Planning:Climate, Resilience & Nature in One Strategy |
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| Transition planning is entering a new phase. For many organisations, the first generation of transition plans focused on reducing emissions and meeting disclosure requirements. While these are still critical priorities, we are quickly starting to see that climate transition is about far more than carbon. The most effective transition strategies are now connecting climate mitigation, nature restoration and resilience in a single vision. This reflects a growing recognition, rooted in systems thinking, that climate and nature challenges are interconnected and that resilience cannot be treated as a separate issue managed on the sidelines on an ad-hoc basis. This shift is also reflected in evolving policy and investment priorities. The Government’s recently published 30by30 Delivery Plan highlights that nature recovery is not an isolated environmental objective, but a critical component of climate resilience, economic prosperity and healthy communities. As organisations respond to these changing expectations, there is growing recognition that climate mitigation, adaptation and nature recovery cannot be planned in isolation. Internally, Accelar has been evolving our climate transition and nature services in parallel to create greater value for clients and respond to growing market demand for integrated solutions. As part of this process, we have brought in climate resilience specialist Erin Connolly to join the team. |
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| OUR SERVICES Introducing Accelar’s Climate Transition ServicesClimate risk is already shaping decisions about assets, infrastructure, land use, investment and long-term business resilience. Accelar’s climate transition services help organisations understand where they are exposed, strengthen the evidence base and move from ambition or compliance to practical, prioritised action. By bringing together climate risk insight, adaptation planning, infrastructure and built environment expertise, nature-based solutions and decision-grade evidence, we support clients to assess vulnerability, prepare for disclosure, build investment cases and create credible pathways for resilience and transition. Our approach is tailored, proportionate and focused on delivery - helping organisations protect assets, keep services running and create wider value for people, places and communities. |
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| | “Climate transition planning is no longer focused purely on emissions reduction or compliance. It’s about helping organisations understand the risks already shaping their assets, operations and communities. Accelar’s strength lies in connecting climate resilience, infrastructure and nature, giving clients a broader perspective and a clear pathway tailored to their specific needs and ambitions.” Charlene Caten, Co-founder, Accelar |
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| PROJECT SPOTLIGHTTransport for the North (TfN)Climate vulnerability assessment |
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Between 2024-2025, Accelar worked with Transport for the North (TfN) to assess the climate vulnerability of the major road and rail networks across the Transport for the North area. The project set out to assess the hazards and vulnerabilities associated with risks such as flooding, extreme weather and ground conditions across 795 road and 195 rail sections. The work aligns with national adaptation policy under the Climate Change Act 2008 and the assessment supports TfN’s role in assisting local and pan-regional resilience planning. The vulnerability assessment was followed up by stakeholder engagement with other transport bodies and partners. Off the back of this analysis, TfN were able to create a publicly available dashboard which visualises their risk and impacts across the network. |
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| | “Accelar helped to kick start our journey of understanding climate vulnerabilities across the TfN area. Their outputs were clear and visually interesting, allowing us to understand climate change vulnerabilities across the network and the next steps we take.” Peter Cole, Head of Policy, Strategy & Research (interim), TfN |
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| | CASE STUDYUnibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW)Delivering a biodiversity tool and renaturation guide for green infrastructure at commercial assets |
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| This multi-phase project, delivered for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) across its global portfolio of commercial assets, developed a bespoke biodiversity assessment tool and renaturation guide to support the delivery of nature-positive outcomes through green infrastructure. Working with sustainability and asset teams, the project translated corporate biodiversity targets into practical, asset-level actions, providing a standardised framework for assessing biodiversity impacts, planning and implementing interventions across shopping centre assets in Europe, the UK and US. |
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| MEET THE TEAMSenior Consultant, Erin Connolly
This issue we talk to our Senior Consultant Erin Connolly to discuss her career journey in climate risk and resilience. Having joined Accelar in April, Erin shares how her experience in New Zealand, alongside both in-house and consultancy roles, has shaped her practical, strategic approach to supporting clients through the climate transition. Read the full interview to learn more about Erin’s work evolving Accelar’s climate transition services, her perspective on turning climate risk insight into action, and what motivates her to help organisations build resilience in a changing climate. |
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| | “It’s been really rewarding to take a step back and think strategically about how we can provide the most value to clients, not just assessing risk, but helping them build resilience in a more holistic way. That includes thinking about things like nature-based solutions, but also how adaptation can deliver wider benefits - whether that’s social value, community resilience, or longer-term outcomes beyond just managing risk. ” |
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| Funding Focus
We have rounded up some of the latest funding opportunities supporting climate resilience, nature recovery and sustainable land management. The current opportunities include grants for lowland peat restoration and wetter farming, large-scale rewilding, sustainable farming practices, farmer collaboration and community-led green space projects, with funding available for farmers, land managers, public bodies, charities, businesses, project partnerships and not-for-profit groups. Please reach out to us for support identifying which blend of funding opportunities and nature markets are right for you, or for assistance with your application. |
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| HOT TOPICBNG Strategies for InfrastructureWith statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for nationally significant infrastructure projects coming in from November 2026, guidance and innovation are moving fast. Accelar is already helping infrastructure clients navigate the big questions, including the choice between onsite, offsite or hybrid delivery. The answer quickly becomes complex, with whole-life value, risk, land, cost, programme and long-term habitat outcomes all in play. Our tried and tested BNG financial modelling tools and benchmark data help project promoters, delivery partners and habitat banks compare options and build stronger investment cases. It is also why we launched BNG Finder: to promote choice, transparency and strong market participation from high-quality nature recovery projects. Planning for infrastructure BNG or developing a habitat bank proposition? Get in touch! |
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| | Momentum BuildersBefore we sign off, thank you for reading our newsletter. We hope you’ve found it both enjoyable and informative. To close, here are three things we’ve been enjoying lately to build momentum with the green transition… |
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| | | | To WatchFollowing an exclusive screening at this year’s Groundswell Festival, this inspiring documentary film shows how regenerative agriculture can support nature recovery. |
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| | | To DoTake the TNFD Status Report survey to establish how organisations across sectors and regions are implementing nature-related practices, integrating TNFD recommendations. |
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