Sadiq Kahn had put forward plans to make London the first National Park City and in doing so, the greenest city on the planet. The idea of the plan is to create more green infrastructure in London, this will mean new ideas like having green roofs to help with soaking up green water, and plants being added to the outside of walls on busy roads to help improve the air quality.
Another idea of Kahn’s is to introduce rain gardens, which would be small green spaces designed to help prevent flooding, with the added bonus of being able to accommodate wildlife. One of the overall aims of this plan is to make London more than 50% green space by 2050, up from the current 47%.
These are all part of the mayor’s draft for a London Environment Strategy which has been put in place to tackle pollution and promote renewable energy sources with the aim of making London a zero carbon city by 2050. Other ideas included in the scheme are:
● The Ultra-Low Emission Zone, which will see the introduction of 10 new low emission bus zones by 2019. This will essentially involve using the most environmentally friendly buses on the most busy and polluted roads in an effort to cut Nitrogen Oxide emissions by 84% across the intended routes.
● The toxicity charge, which will work in conjunction with the congestion charge and add an additional £10 charge to high emission vehicles.
● The capitals first solar action plan, which outlines Kahn’s intentions to more than double the solar energy output by 2030. This will also include an energy grant scheme as well as a reverse solar auction, helping to alleviate costs for Londoners wanting to introduce solar power to their home
● A fuel poverty plan to help support households who are struggling with heat and power costs
The mayor will formally launch all new initiatives and plans at an international summit in Spring of 2019.
He said: “London is home to outstanding green spaces that I want to protect, invest in and improve as we aim to become the world’s first National Park City.
“We can also increase the amount of greenery in the city by installing many more green roofs and making our streets greener… I’ve set out my plans to improve London’s environment by fighting pollution, tackling waste and promoting cleaner energy so we can make London a healthier city that adapts to the impacts of climate change. I want to hear your views and ideas about how we can make London the greenest city in the world.”
