ENVIRONMENT
Bold plans to secure
A new report has set out the scale of the action required to move London towards a greener future and net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
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ublished by Element Energy and commissioned by the Mayor of London, the analysis shows that more action will be required by City Hall, particularly around reducing vehicle use in London, but that the mayor does not have the funding or powers to deliver everything that’s required alone. Sadiq Khan called the report a stark wakeup call for the government to provide much greater support to help London reach net-zero by 2030 and help the UK reach national targets announced before COP26. He has outlined several policies that could be ready within the next few years to encourage Londoners, and those who drive within London, to shift from polluting cars to electric vehicles, public transport and sustainable active travel such as walking and cycling. The potential approaches under consideration are: • Extending the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) even further to tackle more of the dirtiest vehicles: extending the current zone beyond the north and south circular roads to cover the whole of Greater London, using the current charge level and emissions standards • Modifying the ULEZ to make it even more impactful in reducing emissions: building on the existing scheme by extending it to cover the whole of Greater London and adding a small clean air charge for all but the cleanest vehicles
• A small clean air charge: a low-level daily charge across all of Greater London for all but the cleanest vehicles to nudge behaviour and reduce the number of short journeys by car • Introducing a Greater London boundary charge, which would charge a small fee to non-London registered vehicles entering Greater London, responding to the increase in cars from outside London travelling into the city seen in recent years The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) will now begin a consultation with Londoners, local government and businesses about how to achieve the clean, green and healthy future London and the world desperately needs. Sadiq Khan said: “This new report must act as a stark wake-up call for the government on the need to provide much greater support to reduce carbon emissions in London. It’s clear the scale of the challenge means we can’t do everything alone. “We simply don’t have time to waste. The climate emergency means we only have a small window of opportunity left to reduce carbon emissions to help save the planet and, despite the world-leading progress we have made over the last few years, there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the lungs of young Londoners. “This is also a matter of social justice, with air pollution hitting the poorest communities the hardest. Londoners on
lower incomes are more likely to live in areas of the city most badly affected by air pollution and are least likely to own a car. Nearly half of Londoners don’t own a car, but they are disproportionally feeling the damaging consequences polluting vehicles are causing. “It’s clear the cost of inaction – to our economy, to livelihoods, to the environment and to the health of Londoners – would be far greater than the cost of transitioning to net-zero and reducing toxic air pollution. That’s why I’m beginning a conversation with Londoners, local government and businesses about the best way forward to create the green, sustainable city we all want to see.”
“This new report must act as a stark wake-up call for the government on the need to provide much greater support to reduce carbon emissions in London. It’s clear the scale of the challenge means we can’t do everything alone. ” Business Connexions | 25
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green, clean future for London
