WSP has been appointed to all three lots of the Environment Agency’s National Groundwater Modelling Framework, covering strategic modelling, regional and catchment-scale studies, and site-specific assessments. The framework will support regulation of abstraction, flood risk and drought management by standardising numerical groundwater models used to assess aquifer behaviour, contaminant migration and interactions with rivers and infrastructure. Consultants working on EA-regulated projects should expect closer alignment to EA-approved modelling tools, datasets and calibration approaches over the framework term.

New South Wales coal mining has cut direct emissions by 30 per cent since 2005 and net emissions by 35 per cent once the federal Safeguard Mechanism is included, making it the fastest‑reducing sector in the state. The industry is now on track to meet legislated 2030 emissions targets, driven by mine‑site efficiency gains, progressive rehabilitation and changes in operational energy use. For mine planners and environmental engineers, the data signal mounting pressure on lagging sectors and a likely tightening of baseline and offset settings beyond 2030.

A fleet of autonomous marine robots, including the long‑range Autosub “Boaty McBoatface”, will be launched from the polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough to survey rapidly melting Greenland outlet glaciers and adjacent fjords. The mission will map sub‑ice shelf geometry, measure water column temperature and salinity, and track glacier–ocean interactions that influence Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Data on seabed morphology, grounding line position and meltwater plumes will feed into improved sea level rise projections and coastal infrastructure design criteria.