London: Leading climate change

Cities have a central role to play in tackling climate change as they are responsible for 80% of international greenhouse gas emissions and consume 75% of the world’s energy. That’s why cities must work together, taking concerted action and showing leadership on this issue.

The C40 – major global cities initiative – is a partnership of the world’s leading cities all committed to reducing their CO2 emissions. London is a founding partner of the C40 and has taken a strong leadership role.

And London’s leadership is evident – not just in the role it is taking in working along side other cities – but also in the bold goals established for the Capital.

• Ambitious target for London
• Green Organisations
• London implementation of the C40 Climate Change Initiative
• London’s transport infrastructure
• The Government’s role
• Further information

Ambitious target for London

London has set itself an ambitious 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2025. This is a more ambitious target than the UK Government target of 60% by 2050 and reflects the latest evidence from Stern, The Tyndall Centre and the IPCC reports.

This target will be achieved by mobilising the combined efforts of businesses, the public sector and residents.

Energy consumption and the efficiency of buildings makes a significant contribution to CO2 emissions across London, and across the UK as a whole. Emissions from the commercial and public sectors constitute 15 million tonnes of CO2 annually mainly due to electricity usage including lighting, heating and computing. Both the public and private sector, and homeowners are now working to contribute to achieving London’s 60% reduction.

The public and private sectors need to do their bit and this section provides an overview of what is already underway in London – for London – and in collaboration with other major cities.

Green Organisations

Organisations have a role to play in tackling climate change. Achieving London’s CO2 reduction targets requires concerted action across all sectors. With rising energy prices and the importance of CSR policies on customer purchasing behaviour, it makes economic sense to act now. The Green Organisations programme has been established to support organisations in playing their part.

London implementation of the C40 Climate Change Initiative

London has joined cities across the world in a Buildings Energy Efficiency Programme. Under this initiative, London is piloting a new commercial model of carbon management and building retrofit that will provide guaranteed energy savings across a portfolio of buildings and which is effectively cost neutral.

This is currently being piloted by GLA group and will be rolled out to wider public sector & private sector in 2008.

Eight companies from the UK and abroad have been shortlisted, as part of the tender process to make the Greater London Authority Group’s buildings more energy efficient.

The buildings in the first round of upgrades would include landmark offices such as Transport for London’s HQ at Windsor House.

London’s transport infrastructure

London is the only city in the world to have decreased its CO2 emissions per head of capita on 2000 levels.

The commitment to drive these emissions down further is evident in ongoing improvements to London’s transport infrastructure.

Transport for London is itself making major environmentally friendly changes to its fleet. Some of these changes include six new single-decker diesel-electric hybrid buses all of which have been operating on route 360 since March 2006. These vehicles operate using a combination of a conventional diesel engine and an electric motor, reducing emissions of local pollutants and carbon dioxide by at least 30% compared to a conventional diesel bus.

Transport for London’s Travel Demand Management Programme: supporting large organisations to set up a workplace travel plan that saves time and money by reducing travel costs and the need for car parking and fleet management.

The Government’s role

The 2003 UK Government’s Energy White Paper set an aspiration for the UK to reduce carbon emissions by 60% and create a low carbon economy by 2050, accepting the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) of a need to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions.

The UK Climate Change Programme developed in 2000 combined both regulatory and obligation based measures with fiscal and support measures to place the UK on a path to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 through a combination of energy efficiency in the short term and renewables in the long term. In 2006, the Government published a review of the UK Climate Change Programme.

The package of existing and new policy measures in the Programme are projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 15-18 per cent below 1990 levels – the new measures saving 12 million tonnes of carbon by 2010.

Further information:

Defra: The UK Climate Change Programme