Mayor launches ten-point action plan as he says he remains committed to making London net zero by 2030, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter
Sadiq Khan has re-committed to making London net zero by 2030 as he warns the capital is at “a crucial crossroads moment” when it comes to climate change.
As part of a ten-point climate action plan, the mayor is pledging to invest at least £2million into a ‘net zero schools’ initiative to help schools install solar panels on roofs and generate clean power.
Tory candidate Susan Hall has said making London “a cleaner and greener city” is one of her top priorities. She has proposed a £50million fund to “target hotspots where pollution is, rather than taxing where it isn’t” – a snipe at Khan’s Ulez expansion.
But joined by the shadow energy and net zero secretary Ed Miliband today (Friday 12th), Khan claims that “only voting Labour in London will keep green politics alive”.
Other measures in his plan include making London’s bus fleet 100% zero-emission by 2030, delivering 40,000 new public bike parking spaces and installing 23,000 more electric vehicle charging points across London.
On a visit to a North London school, Khan is expected to say: “This election is a close two-horse race between me and the Tory candidate. When it comes to the green agenda, the choice couldn’t be starker.
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“There is so much at risk – clean air and London’s commitment to reaching net zero are on the ballot paper on 2nd May.”
Miliband will say: “After what Sadiq has achieved with his climate leadership and his exciting plans for another term of bold green policies, I urge Londoners not to throw it all away by electing the most anti-green candidate the Conservatives have ever put up for election in London.”
Hall’s spokesperson has previously said she supports the UK’s net zero targets and has rejected suggestions that she disagrees with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about human-caused global warming.
In her speech after being chosen as the Conservative candidate last year, Hall said: “[We need] a cleaner city, that is serious about tackling climate change and air pollution, but without taxing the poorest.”
She has promised to work towards a carbon-neutral Transport for London (TfL), along with plans to expand electric vehicle charging points and clean up air quality on the underground.
In September last year, she criticised Khan for attending the UN General Assembly and “emit[ting] tonnes of carbon flying to New York just so he can lecture people on their emissions”.
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