Mayor outlines climate change adaptation strategy for London
Fri 29 August 2008
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London's Mayor, Boris Johnson, has launched a new strategy which outlines how the capital will adapt to climate change. The Mayor said that climate change mitigation efforts must continue, but there is also a need to prepare for the effects climate change will have on the city. Meanwhile, the Mayor has appointed a new environmental policy adviser.
London’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy outlines the impacts of past and present carbon emissions. The accompanying report shows that London is not designed to cope with the predicted changes.
The report's key findings show that London is not very well adapted to deal with the changing climate, citing the impact of the 2003 summer heatwave and the 2007 floods. Warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers are anticipated, while 'extreme' weather events such as heatwaves and tidal surges will become more frequent and intense.
Londoners will also face an increased risk of floods, droughts and heatwaves that will endanger the prosperity of the city and the quality of life for all Londoners, but especially the most vulnerable in the city.
The report says that London is well placed to help the world adapt to climate change: it has the skills and services to prepare for the predicted changes, and there is a clear economic opportunity to capitalise on this leading position.
The strategy proposes ‘greening’ the city by improving and increasing London’s greenspaces to keep the city cool in summer, managing flood risk coming from the tributaries to the Thames and surface water flooding from heavy rainfall, encouraging Londoners to use less water and raising public awareness to flood risk.
The strategy is now open to consultation with the Greater London Authority bodies – the London Development Agency, Transport for London, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Metropolitan Police Authority – and the London Assembly although wider comment from organisations are invited.
The Mayor’s intention is to publish the public consultation draft of the London Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in 2009.
In a separate development, the Mayor has appointed Isabel Dedring as his new environmental adviser. Ms Dedring has been working as Director of the Policy Unit for Transport for London, overseeing a wide range of strategies covering climate change, low carbon transport, low carbon building retrofits and sustainable travel planning.
She has previously worked for McKinsey and Ernst and Young and as Chief of Staff to the Transport Commissioner at Transport for London (2003-2004).
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