Mayor unveils week of climate change activities for young Londoners

• £50,000 in awards for schools to make environmental improvements and £20,000 in funding for schools to host their own green events
• A week of free events across the city inspiring young people to take action on key environmental themes ahead of UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26)
• Sadiq keen to engage and empower young people in his ambition to make London net zero carbon by 2030 and one of the greenest and cleanest global cities

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced a week of climate activities for young people to get involved in, including the launch of a £50,000 fund with Bloomberg L.P. to help young Londoners improve the environment that they live and study in.

The Mayor’s Climate Kick-Start will see thousands of young people from London schools work together to tackle some of our planet’s biggest threats - climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, air pollution and single-use plastics.

Schools can bid for £10,000 of funding each to kick-start or accelerate exemplar environmental projects. The winning schools will be announced at the end of the week of action at a ceremony hosted by Sadiq, Bloomberg L.P. and TV presenter, Paralympian and climate activist, Ade Adepitan MBE. Smaller grants of £500 - £2,000 are available for schools to run events during that week, helping to cover the cost of equipment or specialist facilitators.

Taking place from the 1^st to the 5^th November – after the first ever Earthshot Prize in London and during the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) – the Climate Kick-Start will also feature dozens of hands-on free events, including: 

• a cleantech careers fair hosted by the Royal Institution 
• a tree planting day hosted by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV)
• a sustainable fashion show with London College of Fashion 
• a pedal-powered activity day

All London secondary schools will receive a free Key Stage 3 lesson resource curated by the Museum of London to help raise awareness of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) and the main issues to be discussed affecting people and the planet.

This announcement follows recently published data from City Hall showing that 98 per cent of schools in London are in areas exceeding World Health Organization pollution limits, compared to 24 per cent outside of London. Sadiq wants to educate and empower young people to go further and faster in addressing environmental issues, and showcase the fantastic work that so many schools are already doing.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “If we don’t take bold action now on the climate emergency, it’s London’s young people who will feel the worst impacts. The Climate Kick-Start will give London’s youth the chance to be heard.

“Whether it’s designing sustainable clothing to reduce waste or planting trees to help our city adapt to our changing climate, I want to hear the best ideas from London’s young people on the small and big changes we must all make to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.”

The Climate Kick-Start will further support the work the Mayor is already doing to help young Londoners impacted by the effects of climate change and air pollution through schemes such as: 

• Grow Back Greener Grants - £1.2m in funding to support community projects to improve access to green spaces and make London more resilient to a changing climate, focusing on areas where it is most needed.
• Schools and Early Years Climate Change guidance - Advice for London schools and early years settings to help them better prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change including overheating and flood risk.
• London Community Energy Fund - Grant funding to support green community energy projects such as solar panels on schools and GP surgeries.
• Schools Air Quality Audit Programme and Pollution Helpdesk - Audits of primary schools in London’s most polluted areas and funding to help schools take action, such as schemes to prevent ‘engine idling’ outside school gates. The London Schools Pollution Helpdesk supports schools across the city to carry out air quality audits and implement recommendations.
• Breathe London – With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, a network of air pollution sensors installed at hospitals, schools and in local communities to measure pollution locally, producing real-time air quality data that Londoners can access.
• School streets - With funding from TFL and support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, roads surrounding schools are closed to motor traffic at drop-off and pick-up times, enabling children to walk or cycle to school, reducing car trips and improving air quality. TfL’s STARS programme engages 15,000 schools, nurseries and colleges in promoting active travel through educating and awarding accreditations.
• Generation Earthshot – With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Earthshot Prize's Global Alliance Network, Generation Earthshot will help teachers around the world nurture and channel the innate optimism and creativity of young people towards solving our biggest environmental challenges. The inaugural Earthshot Prize ceremony will be hosted at the iconic Alexandra Palace in London.

Sadiq also champions advocacy from young Londoners via the London Youth Assembly, Peer Outreach programme and other strategic youth participation projects. He has been clear that that city’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic must be green, and not car-led. As part of that recovery, the Green New Deal will help London to become greener and fairer by creating new jobs and skills for Londoners, ensuring London becomes a net zero-carbon city by 2030 and a zero-waste city by 2050. Sadiq’s Green New Deal fund is already investing £10 million in programmes that support around 1,000 green jobs, while tackling the climate emergency and inequalities.

The project is backed by a host of exciting partners, including Bloomberg L.P. and Let’s Go Zero 2030, and supported by the London Schools Climate Summit. It is part of a series of Mayoral programmes to help engage young people in his ambition to make London one of the greenest and cleanest global cities 

Jemma Read, Global Head of Corporate Philanthropy at Bloomberg L.P. said: “Tackling climate change is not only one of our greatest challenges but also an opportunity to spur innovation. Through our work with young people across the capital we know that London's schools are full of smart, ambitious students determined to create equitable and sustainable change through local action. We're proud to build on our partnership with the Mayor of London to help accelerate powerful ideas and support the local leadership necessary to protecting our planet.”

Alex Green, Programme Manager, Let’s Go Zero 2030, said: “We’re delighted to be involved in this project to unite and support London schools, and kick-start action for schools to become zero carbon by 2030. London’s young people are already calling for climate action; they know it will bring them cleaner, fairer communities and it’s vital that the UK’s low-carbon transformation leaves no one behind.”