London cannot tackle the climate emergency alone, warns Assembly

The global climate emergency is reaching fever pitch and London has a vital role to play in tackling climate change.



The London Assembly today called on the Government to empower cities like London with more investment, to clean its air.

Leonie Cooper AM, who proposed the motion said:

“London must play a leading role in the UK’s response to the climate emergency and the upcoming COP26 is a golden opportunity for the Government to empower UK cities in the global race to stop it from getting worse.

“It is right that the Mayor has set a bold target for the capital to reach net-zero by 2030 and current City Hall policies, such as the extension of the ULEZ and the rollout of more electric and hydrogen buses, will continue to be crucial to achieving this.

“I now want to see Ministers do more to boost the actions being taken by City Hall by investing in the Mayor’s Green New Deal for London and energy efficient homes, introducing a new Clean Air Act, extending the Clean Air Fund so the Mayor’s current vehicle scrappage schemes can be expanded and scrapping planned Government cuts to London’s public transport system.

“Our economic recovery from the pandemic must go hand in hand with the creation of green jobs and infrastructure and more investment in London will pay dividends for the rest of the country”.

The full text of the motion is:

“This Assembly notes with great concern the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) about humanity’s impact on the climate. This Assembly notes, in particular, the IPCC’s warning that emissions of warming gases could see temperature limits broken in just over a decade and that sea levels could rise by almost 2 metres by the end of the century.

This Assembly also welcomes the IPCC’s statement that if urgent action is taken to significantly cut emissions now, we can avoid deepening the climate emergency.

With cities having a leading role to play in the global fight against climate change, this Assembly welcomes the Mayor’s bold target to reach net-zero by 2030, but notes that we do not yet have the resources and plans to achieve this.

This Assembly also welcomes the upcoming extension of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone to the North and South Circulars, which will be crucial in creating a healthier, more liveable and more equal city.

However, this Assembly also notes that cities cannot go it alone and that Government investment in cleaning up our air and helping London reach its net zero targets has never been more vital.

With COP26 approaching, this Assembly agrees to lobby the Government to empower cities to play a strong role in the race to avoid a global catastrophe by:

• Introducing a new Clean Air Act without delay;
• Extending the Clean Air Fund which funds vehicle scrappage schemes to London, supporting the Mayor’s existing schemes, to help more Londoners and businesses switch to greener vehicles;
• Revising imposed cuts to Transport for London (TfL) finances, and provide them with a long-term capital funding deal, allowing TfL to invest in electric buses and decarbonisation, and encourage greater public transport use;
• Review all current programmes for road building in England against their cumulative climate impact;
• Investing in new energy efficient homes and retrofitting older homes;
• Investing in the Mayor’s green new deal in order to deliver more green jobs for the next generation.

This Assembly recognises the urgency with which the climate emergency must be tackled and calls upon the Chair of the London Assembly to write to the Government’s COP26 President, Alok Sharma MP to reiterate these calls and communicate Londoners’ expectations that the Government acts immediately to implement each of these crucial objectives.”