Member Article

London to be run entirely on clean energy by 2050, promises Sadiq Khan

The Labour Party’s London mayoral candidate has promised that London will be on course to run on ‘100 per cent clean energy’ by 2050, should he be elected next May.

The pledge follows announcements from the leaders of 50 Labour-run council, including those in Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Leeds, that clean energy pledges would be pursued across the UK.

Speaking at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London on Monday, Khan launched the ‘100% London’ campaign, with research by the thinktank IPPR, which shows that the city is behind schedule on meeting its carbon reduction targets.

Khan said: “Yes to 100% London. If it’s good enough for Sydney and Copenhagen and New York, why not London? We’ve fallen behind in our 2025 target … I want to be the greenest mayor London’s ever had.”

The report by IPPR argues that the capital will not meet its target to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2025 from 1990 levels, unless significant changes are made.

The mayor elected next year must put London on course to produce a quarter of its own energy within 10 years. In order to reach Khan’s 100 per cent renewable energy target by 2050, London must take action now.

Jimmy Aldridge, senior research fellow at IPPR, said: “London has some good low-carbon programmes and targets in place, but momentum has dropped off,

“Delivery is far lower than the UK average. If the UK is to meet its national climate objectives then the capital must start leading by example.

“The next mayor should draw on the spirit that delivered the first tube network, Bazalgette’s sewerage systemand the hugely successful 2012 Olympics by setting the city in a path to 100% clean energy by 2050 … if any city can rise to the challenge, it’s London.”

The Conservative candidate, who did not attend the event but is known for having a stance on green energy issues, Zac Goldsmith said: “100% London is 100% necessary. I welcome the 100% London campaign and will look closely at IPPR’s zero carbon plan to see what we need to do to make sure that we in London take on the challenge of climate change.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .