Assembly comments on Mayor's draft Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

The Environment Committee welcomes the publication of the draft Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and the Mayor’s commitment to tackle climate change.

The Committee held a public meeting on 15 October 2008 to review the draft strategy with a panel of witnesses from the Association of British Insurers, City of London and GLA Environment and Planning officers. Members of the Planning and Housing Committee also attended, as planning will be an integral part in the delivery of the strategy.

The Committee's comments focus on how the Mayor intends to move from aspirations to implementation: how the strategy will be delivered, who will be responsible for what and specific timelines for delivery.

General points included:

1. Ensuring effective implementation including a systematic account of how the Mayor will achieve his objectives as set out in the draft strategy.
2. Strengthening linkages to other strategies, namely the London Plan, Housing strategy and economic development and making the linkages between adaptation and mitigation explicit in future drafts.
3. The need for flexibility - the Committee recognises that a degree of uncertainty over London's long-term climate is inevitable. However, uncertainty is no excuse for inaction and there needs to be an increase in London's 'adaptive capacity'.

The Committee also provided specific points on flooding, drought and overheating: the focus of the strategy. Planning issues were also reviewed.

Read the Mayor's response to the Committee comments.

In June 2010, the Committee commented on the second draft.