Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP)

The Mayor launched the Climate Change Action Plan for London in February 2007. The plan sets out the priority actions for London to achieve a 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 report.

London’s current footprint

  • London’s current annual CO2 footprint is about 44 million tonnes excluding aviation.
  • Without action by 2025 it would rise to nearly 52 million tonnes.
  • Energy use in existing homes is the largest contributor, at nearly 40%
  • Energy use in the commercial and industrial sector comprises just over 30%.
  • Ground based transport accounts for just over 20%.

The rationale for the targets

  • The evidence suggests that cities are responsible for the impacts that are causing climate change. But cities also provide the greatest opportunities to respond.
  • The central message of the CCAP is that Londoners do not have to reduce their standard of living for London to play its part in tackling climate change, but we do all have to change the way we live.
  • The latest science, including the most recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), suggests that CO2 emissions must be stabilised at 450 parts per million in the atmosphere to avoid catastrophic climate change.
  • For London to achieve the level of reduction required it needs to prevent 33 million tonnes of carbon being emitted by 2025.
  • The Climate Change Action Plan for London identifies how a saving of 20 million tons of CO2 each year can be achieved – without central government intervention or regulatory reform from a range of sectors:
    • 7.6 million tons from the commercial sector
    • 7.7 million tons from the domestic sector
    • 4.3 million tons from the transport sector

What does the plan suggest?

  • The Plan sets out several key programmes – Green Homes and Green Organisations are two of these. Overall they are expected to avoid 15.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
  • The central message from the Climate Change Action plan is that aggressive and concerted action is required now to avert catastrophic climate change.
  • Ambitious target reductions are set in the plan in line with what the science says is necessary and achievable.
  • But there is no silver bullet: Londoners and London’s organisations must all play their part and government must make a few key changes.
  • Nearly all steps that London residents and organisations can make are also financially attractive: saving CO2 and saving money.

Where will the reductions come from?

The commercial sector

There is significant opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions, estimated at about 7.7 million tonnes per annum compared to the 2025 business as usual scenario.

The domestic sector

There is significant opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions, estimated at about 7.6 million tonnes per annum compared to the 2025 business as usual scenario.

For a full version of the CCAP, visit the climate change section of the www.london.gov.uk website.