This article is part of a special report on Climate Solutions, covering efforts to make a difference around the world.
Sadiq Khan has been fighting urban air pollution and climate change as a six-year signature issue as Mayor of London. The city’s first Muslim mayor, a 51-year-old former Labor lawmaker, said last year C40 city As a group of world-leading cities, climate change is also a top priority.
Very dissatisfied with the slow progress of the UN-sponsored climate summit, Khan calls the mayor the “performer” of climate change, in contrast to the government’s “delayer”, and is new to the city. At a future summit, he states that he must be given a leadership role.
Before he appeared on the first panel in New York Times Climate Change At a meeting in London from Thursday to Sunday, Kahn defended imposing the world’s largest plan to reduce vehicle emissions in the city, and if re-elected in 2024, would use the road. I pledge to make even more impressive reforms. Third term. The interview has been edited and summarized.
As chair of the C40 Group, which consists of 97 major cities, we often encourage cities to share best practices in combating climate change. Give some examples of effective efforts.
Rafau Tujaskovsky, the great mayor of Warsaw, is doing a really good job of refurbishing the building to improve energy efficiency.
Freetown in Sierra Leone does a really good job of planting trees that help reduce landslides and improve air quality. New York and Tokyo have some impressive standards for buildings that reduce energy emissions. Oslo has introduced carbon budgets in the city.
London is the world’s first Ultra low emission zone [the ULEZ, which imposes a charge on vehicles that do not meet air quality standards].. In just two years, it halved the toxic air of the central city.
Having seen work elsewhere, is there a specific program you would like London to adopt?
I was really impressed with what Oslo’s mayor, Raymond Johansen, is doing with carbon budgeting. We are considering starting to build a carbon budget when we set our next budget in London. This allows us to see the impact of all the pounds of carbon emissions we spend.
Cities are active in the fight against climate change, and governments are often lagging behind, so there are examples of concrete differences around the world.
Why do you say that?
The evidence is clear. Most countries that have goals to achieve net zero carbon have set goals 20 to 30 years ahead of the loss of leaders. The mayor has set goals within reach and they are already doing something.
Of the more than 200 countries that have signed the Paris Agreement, how many have adaptation plans that actually meet the agreement? Gambia. Compare it to major cities. Of the 97 members of the C40, 64 have adaptation plans to reach Net Zero Carbon according to Paris. That is the difference between a performer and a delayer.
What are the unmanageable achievements in reducing urban emissions in those big cities?
There are three major areas of carbon emissions. It’s where people work, where they live, and how they travel. So, for example, if we can reduce emissions in these areas by walking more, cycling more, using more public transport, and using less vehicles, we can reduce carbon emissions and other forms of pollution. You can reduce it quickly.
Insulating buildings with double-glazed glass to increase energy efficiency and using electric and hydrogen vehicles are examples of unmanageable achievements. These are things we can do very easily and there are cities that are already making progress.
What are the more difficult and long-term challenges?
The more difficult thing is the transition from hydrocarbons to renewables, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be overcome. You have to invest. It’s often considered a loss leader, but you get your money back in terms of lower fuel costs and new jobs.
You are currently talking about expanding London’s ultra-low emission zone to cover more of the city, but do you think you need to go further in the end?
Yes, I think the future will be billing for smart road users [adjusting charges for road use using smart technology].. London’s Congestion Charge and ULEZ were the first to be launched in 2003 and 2017, but they’re pretty clunky. They have led to significant improvements in air quality, but they are simply based on vehicles entering the geographic area.
It would be better to have a bespoke system that is relevant to you and your needs. Therefore, if you are in an area with poor public transport and few driving options, or if you are driving when there is little congestion or the car is the least polluted, you need to pay less. And if you are someone with a low income, it will be brought on board in relation to what you pay. That is what we are working on for the future.
How far is it?
If I’m reelected in 2024, I’d like to do it next semester. Therefore, this term will expand ULEZ to cover Greater London as a whole, and the next semester will be from 2024 to 2028. We hope that smart road users can be charged.
We must be ambitious as we want to achieve zero carbon by 2030.
The UK has a national goal of becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2050, but in 2018 you set a goal for London in 2030. Are you sure you will meet the 2030 deadline?
I think we can do that because you have to be ambitious, but frankly we have more support from the government of the country and the delegation of power and resources. Unless we get it, we’re not going to do it.
Of the three areas I mentioned, transportation, home, and workplace, I only have the power to handle most transportation-related ones, and it’s true for buildings, both for homes and where people work. There is no power.
For example, the Thames has no power, so boats use diesel to move up and down in the middle of the city, without the power to persuade them to be environmentally friendly.
Resources for the government to encourage me to flee diesel and petrol car families from disposal plans, or to subsidize small businesses and charities to move away from contaminated cars If you leave it to me, it makes a big difference.
The private sector is really really excited to reach Net Zero Carbon and companies around the world are coming to London for our green outlook, but infrastructure, bus electrification, enough electricity Car charging point. And unless the government invests in the renovation of our building, we’re not going to get there.
You believe that governments failed to challenge at last year’s Glasgow COP Climate Change Conference. What should cities see at this year’s meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt?
In Glasgow, there was a real contrast between the energy and innovation of the private sector and cities and mayors compared to most governments, especially filibusters, dithering and delays within the conference center from the Global North and Global South. What is needed at future meetings is to let go of the power of the United Nations and governments and bring in others who can provide the support they need.
If the mayor and citizens are empowered to play a role in future COPs, I think we can reach zero carbon by 2030 and easily maintain warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Therefore, they are not just shops.
One of the biggest things we have to encounter is that the problem we are having is actually an opportunity.
The famous phrase is that the crisis should never be wasted.
And compared to climate change as a crisis, pandemics are inferior. If the world can get together to deal with Covid, why can’t we get together to solve a much bigger crisis, climate change?