London - greenest capital city in the world?
Posted by DavidM in Climate change | 8 March 2007
Love him or loathe him, one thing can't be disputed. When Ken Livingstone sets his mind to do something, it gets done.
I don't always agree with his ideas but I admire him for what so many politicians don't do - act.
As Mayor of London he's been championing action against climate change for some time now. The congestion charge favours less polluting vehicles, he's encouraged eco- and social housing and now he's set London what at work we call 'a big hairy target'.
By 2025 he aims to cut London's emissions by 60% from 1990 levels and make London the greenest capital city in the world.
And how will it be achieved? Ken believes it can only happen by changing the behaviour of Londoners - using efficient lighting, turning appliances off and so on.
That, combined with a planning framework that encourages low emission energy production - primarily Combined Heat & Power (CHP) - charging high-emissions cars more to enter the city and energy-efficient house building, should significantly reduce London's emissions.
I have lived and worked in London and have always liked to walk around the city. When the congestion charge was introduced I noticed an immediate improvement. It was quiter, cleaner and felt less oppressive.
This is a bold step by Ken and given his success with other activities I have confidence that he'll make London a greener and more pleasant city.
However, he calls for stronger national action to enable London to achieve the 60%. I'm afraid I have somewhat less confidence in the national politicians, of all parties, to deliver on that.
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