News

Is London up to the 2030 net-zero carbon challenge?

19 November 2020: “During London Climate Action Week, Associate Architect, Michela Ravaglia, outlines London’s response to the Climate Emergency and questions whether enough is being done to achieve the city’s ambitious 2030 net zero carbon target.” Really helpful summary of new policy, reports and initiatives underway in London (and there is a going on at the moment!) with respect to planning and the development of zero carbon buildings – see the following article.

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London’s businesses and mayoral candidates must work together to combat climate change

17 November 2020: Ahead of May 2021’s London Mayoral election, excellent to see the following initiative by Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive of London First and Rachel Skinner, Executive Director of WSP who “have written to all London Mayor candidates on behalf of over 50 of the capital’s leading employers, urging them to make climate action a central plank of their campaigns. This means setting out a clear pathway to achieve London’s net zero goals by convening all parts of government, creating the right regulatory environment to promote investment in net zero, and supporting Londoners to make better, greener choices.” Read the full story at onlondon.

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Arsenal joins with UN to tackle climate change

16 November 2020: The signatories to the UN’sSports for Climate Action initiative aim to support these ambitions by adhering to the following five principles:

  • Undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility
  • Reduce overall climate impact
  • Educate on climate action
  • Promote sustainable and responsible consumption
  • Advocate for climate action through communication

More on Arsenal’s press release here. There’s clearly more that London sport’s organisations to do to support the climate emergency and wider environmental agenda. The British Association of Sustainable Sport (BASIS) a really good source of information and in addition to Arsenal, also provides a case study on action undertaken by All England Tennis club in Wimbledon.

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Rise of Renewable Energy in Cities

October 2020: Report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) highlights resource potential, targets, technology options and system-planning priorities for cities around the world. City-level targets – properly attuned to local resources and needs – are an essential component of the transition to renewables.

Helpful overview on range of energy solutions most appropriate for urban areas and highlights the increasing number of cities around the world who have set targets to increase the amount of renewable energy they are using. Chapter 4 a useful run through various modelling tools, the report stating a “comprehensive study was undertaken to evaluate these models and tools, identify prevailing gaps and challenges in the field, and propose recommendations to improve the tools/ methods and their uptake by urban energy planners.” Download the report here.

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Hackney Green Homes

13 October 2020: An update from Hackney Council on their new retrofit programme. “Hackney Green Homes is the first borough-wide programme in London to offer thermal efficiency measures to privately-owned and rented homes, including cavity, loft and floor insulation. We’ll also be trialling grants for renewable heating upgrades such as air-to-air heat pumps and hydrogen fuel cell boilers, for people who meet the eligibility criteria.” Further information here.

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Daring Cities

7 October 2020: “ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (known as “ICLEI”) launches Daring Cities 2020 – the world’s first and largest global online gathering on climate change for urban leaders. Daring Cities 2020 runs from 7-28 October 2020, offering an online array of high level and visionary speaking sessions, a series of informative workshops and personal networking opportunities. The event will help to set the course to COP26 (the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference), Daring Cities 2021 and beyond.”

Full details on following press release and report. Proceedings of the events that took place under the Daring Cities programme can be accessed here.

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Zero Emissions Delivery in Waltham Forest

24 August 2020: Case study on the Future of London website of Waltham Forest’s “fleet of cargo bikes and trikes with a self-built logistics IT platform – [the] Zero Emissions Delivery (ZED) scheme not only makes local deliveries more efficient but also keeps the streets healthy.” Full details on FoL website here.

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LGA launches report to help councils tackle climate change

21 August 2020: “The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, has worked closely with the Centre for Public Scrutiny and has published a guide to help councils play a leading role in tackling the climate crisis at a local level. The resource, which sets out 10 scrutiny questions, will help all councils and policymakers to embed the necessary environmental, social and cultural changes that communities need to see to build resilience to respond to climate challenges such as investment strategies and transport plans.

The guide can be downloaded here and is a useful read setting out comprehensive suggestions on routes to develop a robust climate emergency plan including how future scrutiny of plans can be undertaken; including the local community and how to best engage the public in the plan; planning the involvement of local businesses, partners and employers to understand the local growth context. The 10 questions framing the report are as follows:

Continue reading…
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Tower Hamlets School LED project

21 August 2020: “Osmani Primary School in East London is set to realise a £7,700 saving on its annual energy bill thanks to making the switch to LED lighting“. Good to see this article in Electrical Review highlighting the work of Tower Hamlets council, using resource from the borough’s carbon offset fund: “The London Borough of Tower Hamlets supports schools in the borough to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon emissions through its Carbon Offset Fund. This funding source provides the upfront capital for LED replacement projects, thereby allowing the school to repay the cost through the energy savings realised during the payback period.” Read the full article here.

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Funding for Electric Bus Charging Infrastructure

17 August 2020: Press release from Amber Infrastructure, fund manager of the Mayor’s Energy Efficiency Fund (MEEF) of an announcement of a loan to Zenobe Energy to install a charging infrastructure solution at a bus depot operated by Abellio London, in Walworth to install charging infrastructure to serve the single decker P5 and new C10 bus routes.

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New Funding for Southwark Heat Networks

13 August 2020: Press release issued by Amber Infrastructure, fund manger of the Mayor’s Energy Efficiency Fund (MEEF) announcing that £7m funding has been arranged for a new ‘water source heat pump’ project in the borough to provide heat to 2,000 homes. Read the full release here.

Vital Energi have been procured by Southwark Council to design, construct and operate the scheme. Further information on Southwark Council’s work around the use of water source heat pumps can be seen here.

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Hackney Council pledges £25m to tackle climate emergency

27 July 2020: “One year on from its motion declaring a climate emergency, Hackney Council is dedicating £25m towards the fight against climate change. The funding, which is being spent across Council departments, is aimed at ensuring its ambitious commitments to net zero emissions across all functions by 2040 and a 45% reduction on 2010 levels by 2030 are embedded throughout the borough and in the day-to-day running of Council services.” Read the full press release here.

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