Greater London Authority

Sector: Municipal Government

Carbon Footprint:
> 43,600,000 metric tonnes CO₂e (2003)

TARGETS

> Reduce municipal CO₂ emissions 20% by 2010 on 1990 levels
> Reduce municipal CO₂ emissions 60% by 2050 on 2000 levels
> Establish one zero-carbon development in every London borough by 2010

Achievements

> 7% reduction in municipal CO₂ emissions between 1990 and 2000
> 19% reduction in traffic CO₂ emissions within the congestion charging zone by 2004 on 2003 levels

Benefits

> To date more than £170 million in net revenues from the congestion charge scheme has been invested in public transport improvements, primarily in the bus network.

Low Carbon Solutions

Background

London, the capital of the UK, consumes as much energy annually as Greece. Cities are often perceived as dirty and unsustainable, yet the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone intends to make London an exemplary, sustainable world city. This will be delivered through the Greater London Authority’s five functional bodies - Greater London Authority (GLA), London Development Agency (LDA), London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and Transport for London (TfL).

To tackle climate change specifically, the Mayor set up the London Climate Change Partnership (LCCP), to address adaptation to the impacts of climate change and, in June 2005, the London Climate Change Agency (LCCA) to address the CO₂ dimensions of energy, waste, water and transport in the city with a view to establishing a low carbon trajectory going forward.

Energy Efficiency

The Mayor of London, through the functional bodies, is responsible for a large portfolio of buildings including bus stations, tube stations, fire stations and police stations across the capital. The functional bodies have introduced a number of schemes to limit the operational emissions from its own facilities. London Underground, for example, runs an ‘Energy Challenge’ encouraging stations, groups and lines to save energy through measures such as switching off lights and stopping escalators outside peak hours. In the scheme’s first year (2001), energy use was reduced by 11% and in 2003/4 this increased to 21%, exceeding the target of 17.5%. For the 2004/2005 period the station energy reduction target has increased to 20%.

The LCCA is also in the process of establishing an energy efficiency fund to improve energy efficiency of municipal buildings. As Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London explains, “The LCCA has a number of objectives, but one is to make our own buildings as energy efficient as possible. Because of the density of activity in the city, London has the potential to be environmentally effective. We are committed to implementing measures in our own buildings that can then be utilised elsewhere.”

London has 27% of the UK’s combined heat and power (CHP) potential and by investing in a new build infrastructure and existing clusters of corporate buildings the GLA group will extend the use of the technology in its own buildings and, through commercialising the CHP market, bring the price down for other potential users.

Project Finance

The GLA has its own specific budget for sustainable development and each of the functional bodies within the GLA group also has its own strategy, budget and environmental commitments. This structure is significant as it ensures that resources are continually committed to addressing climate change across the city.

Renewable Energy

As well as purchasing renewable energy from energy companies, the GLA group is also investing in generating its own zero-emissions energy, with a target to have one zero carbon installation in each of the London boroughs by 2010. Showcase projects already in operation include the PV installation generating 23 kilowatts of electricity a year at Richmond fire station, which meets all the station’s energy needs and allows for some electricity to be exported back to the national grid.

In 2003/4 Transport for London (TfL) procured 16% of its electricity from renewables. It expects this figure to increase to 20% for 2004/5. In addition to procurement, TfL has encouraged the use of solar power for lighting bus stops and bus shelters not connected to the national grid. From 2005, 1,400 stops will be upgraded per annum, with 7,000 illuminated bus stop timetables and flags in place by 2010. Two solar powered roadside ticket machines are also on trial and further machines will be installed as the need arises. TfL has also invested in PV installations such as those built on the roofs of the Vauxhall Cross interchange and Walworth bus depot.

Sustainable Buildings

In March 2005, sustainable construction and design guidelines, which are supplementary to the London Plan (Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London) were issued by the Mayor of London to amplify the policies on sustainable building within the original document. As Nicky Gavron explains, “We want to ensure buildings are constructed in a sustainable way: in terms of orientation, passive solar use, use of recycled materials and energy efficiency measures. One of our strongest powers is strategic planning and we aim to utilise this to ensure that the highest standards are met and maintained.”

Transport and Planning

Introduced in 2003, London’s congestion charge scheme (now the world’s largest road pricing mechanism of its kind) encourages travellers to use public/non-motorised transport or cleaner vehicles, instead of cars and vans. Money raised by charging drivers £8 a day (up from £5 in the programme’s first year) to enter the zone at peak times is invested in public transport. Since 2003, traffic in the zone has been reduced by 15% and congestion by 30%. The scheme encompasses an incentive for private car users to switch to cleaner fuels with a number of alternative fuel vehicles receiving a 100% discount on the charge. Approximately 4,300 vehicles are registered to take advantage of this discount. The congestion charge is estimated to have reduced traffic-related CO₂ emissions within the zone by 19%.

To Nicky Gavron it is clear that London would not have introduced the congestion charge were it not for the success of similar schemes elsewhere. As she explains, “Were it not for the schemes in Trondheim and Singapore, we would not have set up the scheme. Big cities can implement innovative models from smaller places - that’s what London is doing.”

To date more than £170 million in net revenues generated by the charging has been invested, primarily in the bus network. Bus passenger numbers have increased by 37% during charging hours. Since 2000 59 new bus lanes and 201 new sets of bus priority signals have been introduced to the city’s streets. TfL is also implementing a programme through which all new bus drivers are to undergo BTEC training, teaching them how to improve the energy efficiency of buses.

London is currently participating in a pioneering project to test the first generation of zero-emission fuel cell buses. These are running between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway until December 2005. As conventional diesel buses already operate on this route, performance of the vehicles can be accurately compared. The London Hydrogen Partnership is currently developing a business plan detailing how hydrogen can be introduced effectively into the transport infrastructure on a large scale. Tfl is considering a range of technologies which may be developed in the future, with hybrid engines being the current priority.

On the underground network, 40% of the train fleet uses regenerative braking (which saves 20-25% of energy that would otherwise be lost as heat) and all new rolling stock will have regenerative braking as standard.

The Mayor has also developed a Taxi Emissions Strategy to reduce emissions from London’s 20,000-strong taxi fleet by up to 50% by the end of 2007. This will be achieved by having cab owners investing in new, cleaner vehicles, fitting abatement technology or converting to run on alternative fuels. The cost of converting black cabs to reach new standards is being met by a flat rate fare of 20 pence per journey, initiated in April 2005. By 2007, the GLA will have implemented a Low Emissions Zone, reducing the collective impact of coaches, lorries, buses and taxis.

In addition, there are plans to make London one of the world’s most walking friendly cities by 2015. More than 5.5 million trips a day are made on foot in London – more than are made on the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and National Rail in London combined. Initiatives such as the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square and reviewing of traffic signal timings to allow increased crossing time for pedestrians reinforce walking as a viable alternatives to road travel. There are also over 70km of new cycle-paths to encourage people to get on their bikes.

One of three pilot fuel cell buses currently on trial in London