Planning London’s future
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865 Londoners have responded | 01/03/2022 - 20/03/2022
Discussions
Responding to the climate emergency
London’s climate is changing. We’re having hotter, longer heatwaves, more flash floods and stronger, more destructive storms.
According to the United Nations, the world is on track for a 2.7C temperature rise by the end of the century. This would have severe consequences across the planet, including here in London. Extreme weather events would happen more often, putting homes, workplaces, schools, hospitals and vital infrastructure at risk.
In 2018, the Mayor declared a climate emergency. He’s committed to making London net zero carbon by 2030. This means our city will no longer be reliant on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.
To reach this goal, we need to think about how we:
- heat and cool where we live and work, including moving away from natural gas
- use less energy and generate more of it locally – for instance, by insulating buildings and using more renewable power
- get around the city, with more walking, cycling, public transport and electric vehicles
- make, move, buy, and eventually get rid of things by repairing, reusing and recycling
- create space for nature in our city.
We want to understand how London’s places, spaces and buildings might influence how Londoners do these things.
Join our discussion:- What else should we do to protect London from extreme weather such as floods, storms and heatwaves?
- Do you find it easy or hard to make decisions that help reduce emissions? What about London’s buildings and spaces helps you do so? And what stops you?
The discussion ran from 01 March 2022 - 20 March 2022
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Community Member 3 years agoThe government and Mayor should really be looking into ground source heat pumps and introducing subsidies and support in order to enable all homes and businesses engage in this technology to reduce reliance on fossil fuels not only for the...
Show full commentThe government and Mayor should really be looking into ground source heat pumps and introducing subsidies and support in order to enable all homes and businesses engage in this technology to reduce reliance on fossil fuels not only for the climate emergency but also for the economic cost of living crisis.
There needs to be a concerted campaign to address the behaviour that leads to overconsumption, waste and other issues driving the climate crisis. London needs to shift behaviour and for that clever campaigns that utilise psychological and social understanding towards sustainable living.
Libraries of things need to be centre of each community, as do zero waste shops, local food markets and swap shops. These need to be affordable and not exclusive. Stores left empty from the pandemic can be handed over to community intiatives such as these or companies such as Terracyle to create hundreds of local recycling hubs because councils do not do enough to recycle more than the basics.
Cycling and walking needs to be given centre stage with a massive reduction on vehicles moving through streets, including delivery vehicles.
Listed buildings, planning permission and expense are huge barriers to making buildings more efficient.
If my local streets were prioritised for bikes and walking, therefore safer for me to cycle on and nicer to walk along (it is the Romford Road, grim) then it would discourage car use and encourage walking and cycling as per the Scandinavian model for road use.
Waste needs to be addressed and London should place restrictions on the sort of products that are in our shops e.g. plastics, disposable items.
London should place pressure on the banking sector to divest from fossil fuels.
Show less of commenttheid
Community Member 3 years agoStockholm's LEZ is 10 sq. km. London's ULEZ is 21 sq. km. It is too much. The research on how many residents are fit enough to walk or cycle everywhere is non-existent. I often wonder if people without cars have any...
Show full commentStockholm's LEZ is 10 sq. km. London's ULEZ is 21 sq. km. It is too much. The research on how many residents are fit enough to walk or cycle everywhere is non-existent. I often wonder if people without cars have any older or less physically able relatives or friends.
If you imagine subsidies will be helpful to the vast majority of Londoners you are very much mistaken. The vast majority of Londoners are struggling to pay their living costs as it is. The costs of replacing their heating systems will break them. How will heatpumps function with huge tall buildings full of individual homes - both existing and planned?
The headlong race to make everything reliant on electrity frightens me. How many people have suffered because of power cuts? Do you imagine there won't be power cuts? Even without natural disasters like storms and floods if everybody relies on electricity the system stands an excellent chance of over-loading and failing frequently. Imagine all those i-phones and internet systems crashing. I hope I'm long dead before society is entirely reliant on electricity - and at the mercy of electricity companies who will, no doubt, be raking in the cash from a captive customer.
As for waste and over-consumption. Society has for decades been encouraged to consume on the promise that they will feel better/their lives will be better. How can you hope to reverse this? Perhaps if you stop making it so easy to borrow money you may make a difference, otherwise people will never again learn how to "make do and mend", which is the secret weapon against over-consumption.
Show less of commentVic
Community Member 3 years agoNo new roads for motor vehicles and HGVs!
Show full commentCancelling the Silvertown Tunnel should be the first step. It will add to carbon emissions and make the mayor’s own carbon zero targets impossible to achieve.
We need cycling, walking and cargo...
No new roads for motor vehicles and HGVs!
Show less of commentCancelling the Silvertown Tunnel should be the first step. It will add to carbon emissions and make the mayor’s own carbon zero targets impossible to achieve.
We need cycling, walking and cargo bike bridges instead. These are not possible, with the tunnel. We need less tarmac and more wetlands on the flood plains on Greenwich Peninsula. We can reduce our emissions at home. We gave up our car. We now need the mayor to reduce emissions caused by road building which only encourages car and HGV use.
We use electric bikes, and cross river access for cycling in south and south east London is inadequate. We would like cargo bike deliveries. Again not possible here for cargo bikes to cross the river.
The Thames Barrier’s life is limited. The planned new barrier for 2070 is way too far ahead. Flooding from ground water and the river threatens Greenwich and Lewisham. This is where investment should be put urgently. Not in a new road tunnel which makes matters worse.
locksocrates
Community Member 3 years agoTo move away from gas the only real option is the small scale nuclear systems such as those Rolls Royce is developing. Wind is a non starter and solar simply does not have the capacity to supply what’s needed esp as we move to electric or...
Show full commentTo move away from gas the only real option is the small scale nuclear systems such as those Rolls Royce is developing. Wind is a non starter and solar simply does not have the capacity to supply what’s needed esp as we move to electric or hydrogen cars.
Show less of commentDevelopments currently don’t have to increase the resources needed to service them so more power water etc.