Climate change

In 2018, the Mayor declared a climate emergency and has committed to make London net zero-carbon by 2030. This means our city will no longer be reliant on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.

We want London to be a leader in this field. It was one of the first cities to publish a climate action plan compatible with the highest ambition of the Paris Agreement.  

Road transport emissions are harmful to people and the environment contributing to both air pollution and the climate emergency. Around 4,000 Londoners died prematurely in 2019 because of long-term exposure to air pollution. It is a cause of cancer and increases the risk of asthma, stroke and dementia. And greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles contribute to global warming.  

We expanded London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone up to the North and South Circular Roads to help clean up London’s toxic air and radically reduce dangerous emissions.

London has more than 550 zero emission buses and we’re aiming for all of London’s buses to be zero emission by 2034.

Since 2018, we have made it mandatory for all newly registered taxis to be zero emission capable. We now have 4,400 zero emission capable taxis on London’s roads.

We’re also working to switch the Tube to 100 per cent renewable energy sources.

Climate change knows no borders. To address it, we need urgent national, international and global cooperation. Cities have a huge role to play, as they consume more than two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70 per cent of global CO2 emissions.

The Mayor has been elected as Chair of the C40 Cities network, and is now co-Chair under a new model of a global north and global south co-chair.  The Mayor uses this position to advocate for climate action across global cities, using London as an example of where cities are leading the way in climate mitigation, adaptation and air quality policy.

London also leads the C40 Divest/Invest Forum to help cities to learn from each other, confront challenges and encourage action on fossil fuel divestment – and increasingly investment in climate solutions. The network continues to grow, with 19 cities having now signed up to the divestment declaration.

Bengaluru and London lead a global partnership of nearly 50 world cities on tackling air pollution in urban centres. This saw city leaders come together to share ideas, nurture innovation and encourage ambition in the effort to improve air quality in cities worldwide, just as we're doing in London.

London’s ‘green economy’ is worth more than the manufacturing and construction industries combined. We plan to double its size by 2030.

The Mayor is committed to delivering a Green New Deal for London, which will protect our environment while at the same time creating the jobs, prosperity and skills we need. This means more jobs in sectors like low-carbon technology, renewable energy, carbon finance, and the circular economy, which aims to eliminate waste. 

London’s homes and buildings are responsible for two thirds of the city’s carbon emissions. This is due to the energy used to heat and power them.

To address this issue, the Mayor has declared a ‘retrofit revolution’. This will transform London’s old, energy-inefficient housing stock into ultra-low carbon homes fit for the 21st century. We’ve already secured £160m funds to retrofit homes and public buildings. The new London Plan will require all major new developments to be net zero carbon too.

We’re also supporting the rollout of solar panels on London rooftops and heat networks. This will give communities their own cost-effective sources of energy that don’t rely on fossil fuels.  

Climate action is an equalities issue. The poorest communities and black and Asian Londoners are being hardest hit by toxic air, flooding, overheating and a lack of access to green space.

We’re targeting our funding programmes to help those most likely to be affected by these issues, using data from sources like our climate risk map.

The pandemic highlighted how important nature is for Londoners’ health and wellbeing. We’re committed to giving all Londoners access to green space within 10 minutes of where they live.  

Green spaces and trees are also crucial in our fight against climate change. They help keep our city cool and tackle flood risk by absorbing rainwater. Trees also help clean the air and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That’s why we’ve planted a record 340,000 trees in London since 2016.

We’ve already supported more than 200 greening projects to increase and improve green spaces in London. Our Grow Back Greener fund is specifically funding both projects that address inequalities in access to green space and also projects that help make our city more climate resilient.