London joined the BreatheLife network on 4 October, becoming the world’s first mega-city to commit to reaching the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines. These “gold standard” recommendations for air quality set serious limits on health-harming pollutants.
The World Health Organization recommends an upper limit on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) of 10 micrograms per cubic meter, and this is the target London plans to reach by 2030. London’s Air Quality department has done extensive analysis to ensure that this is an ambitious but realistic target.
London’s plan to meet this target is backed by serious science and stakeholder consensus. The city’s air quality strategy centres around another ambitious target: becoming a zero-carbon city by 2050. Achieving this vision will require broad action across the city, from the institutional level to the individual.
Here are some key aspects of London’s vision and strategy for cleaner air.
The vision
By 2041, Londoners will make 80 per cent of their trips on foot, by bicycle or by public transport (currently, that number is 64 per cent).
All taxis and cars-for-hire will be zero emission by 2033; all buses will be zero emission by 2037; all new road vehicles in London will be zero emission by 2040; and the whole transport system will be zero emission by 2050.
London will be a zero-carbon city by 2050.
The strategy
Develop a resilient, low or zero-carbon energy infrastructure that allows London to generate more of its own energy and that is secure and scalable long-term.
Implement a “Healthy Streets” approach, cutting down on car traffic to make local streets more pleasant for pedestrians.
Build the biodiesel industry to fuel government-owned vehicles, which is also good for green jobs.
Improve energy efficiency in buildings. RE:NEW is helping many organizations carry out renovation projects to make buildings more energy efficient. By January 2017, RE:NEW had helped improve 127,500 London homes with energy savings of 46,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Replace and repair Londoners’ inefficient and broken boilers with the £1m Better Boilers fund, saving 310 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
Get more information on London’s air quality plan:
Working with the London boroughs
On 11 August, London Mayor Sadiq Khan published a draft of the London Environment Strategy. This plan is open for public comment until November 17. Explore the full plan and offer your feedback on the vision.
Pollution is the theme of the 2017 United Nations Environment Assembly, which is meeting in Nairobi from 4 to 6 December. Sign the pledge and help us #BeatPollution around the world. Together, we can clean up the planet.
This article was originally published on BreatheLife.org.
