Earth Day 2023: The ways in which London is getting greener

Tomorrow, Saturday 22nd April marks Earth Day. It's a time of year where we think about the impact that we're having on our planet and how we can reverse the damage that we're doing to the environment. London is a city where emissions run high and it's a hot topic of debate as to how the city is going to start improving its impact on the climate.

We thought we'd highlight some of the ways in which the city is aiming to improve its effect on the climate over the next few years, with the Mayor's Office pushing for radical changes. 

 

Urban Greening

Image credit: Greater London Authority

London already boasts a huge amount of green space, but the plan from the Mayor's Office is for the city to go even further. Urban greening will see a lot more of Central London give way to nature and you will likely see a lot more colourful rooftops appearing in the future. Hopefully, the projects are more successful than Marble Arch Mound.

 

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TFL Environment Plan

The TFL has unveiled its own plan where it wants to move towards a more sustainable way of operating. They have come up with a plan that not only sees them scaling back emissions in their services but in the general running of their operations too, with an emphasis on maximising renewables, removing fossil fuel consumption, producing their own renewable energy and improving energy efficiency. 

 

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Net Zero by 2030

Image credit: Future of London 

In 2018, a climate emergency was declared in London and since then they have been pushing to make the city carbon-neutral by 2030. Whether or not we'll see them reach that goal is another matter but the city has pledged to make itself a world leader in cutting carbon. 

 

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Cutting Emissions from Buildings

Image credit: Greater London Authority

Another key part of the Mayor's office's drive to avert the worst damage from climate change and pollution is to change the emissions from people's homes which are responsible for two-thirds of the city's carbon output. The plan is to retrofit buildings with energy-efficient housing stock and to increase the number of solar panels on homes.

 

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Cleaner Buses and More Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

Image credit: dcbel (Pexels)

By 2037, there are plans for all 9,200 of London's buses to be zero emissions. There are more electric buses in the current fleet than ever with more on the way soon. More and more charging stations are popping up in domestic areas too, meaning that it's less of a pain to find one and there will be more rapid charging points too, which will help put those put off by the usually long wait time.

 

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Larger ULEZ Zone

On the 29th August this year, the ULEZ Zone is getting bigger. When inside this zone, motorists need to pay a daily fee to be able to drive. So far, the scheme claims to have reduced the toxic Nitrogen Dioxide pollution in Central London by 50% and it has helped to reduce hospital admissions in the city.

 

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