Civil litigation to protect becoming an ever more powerful tool in the climate fight, campaigners say (Damien Storan/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)The aim of COP26 was to keep 1.5C alive. The draft text appears to have it on life support. Indeed, it calls on nations to toughen up their emissions targets by the end of 2022, given the yawning gap between current pledges and what is needed.
The summit goes on and today is transport day. On cars, London is zooming ahead. As we report today, the number of Londoners buying electric vehicles is soaring, rising by 95 per cent.
From the Mayor’s extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone to the Government’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, it shows the importance of market and political signals in driving the transition to a greener economy. This makes it even more important that the roll-out of charging infrastructure — and in particular rapid charging points — is accelerated.
Londoners are making the right choices but need the facilities to charge their cars. That is why we have consistently called for greater collaboration between business, local and national government to make this happen.
Cities such as London have a global role to play. A new report by the C40 group of mayors, led by Sadiq Khan, has called for the greening of urban transport networks and to double public transport use across world cities by 2030. To make this a reality in London, it must be bolstered by funding from within a long-term settlement from central Government.
The perennial challenge for Londoners has always been to get around the city quickly and safely. It must now be green too and on that, the capital is leading by example.
