New London Mayor Under Pressure to Take Action on Air Pollution

The newly-elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan had barely had time to warm up his seat before campaigners, environmental groups and politicians were petitioning him to tackle the serious issue of air pollution in the nation’s capital.

Even before the winner of the mayoral contest was announced at the beginning of May, a conglomerate of 11 environmental and transport organisations had demanded that the incoming replacement for Boris Johnson improve air quality and reduce transport-related pollution, a problem which is estimated to cause the deaths of almost 10,000 lives of Londoners each year.

A United Voice

Among others, the petitioners consisted of Greenpeace, Clean Air in London, Friends of the Earth, the British Lung Foundation, Living Streets, London Cycling Campaign and Client Earth. The latter are an environmental law firm who have taken the UK government to the Supreme Court for the second time in a year over their negligence regarding the country’s worsening air quality problems.

“We call on the Mayor to pledge that on their first day in office they will mandate Transport for London to draw up options for a bigger, better, carefully-designed Clean Air Zone to be introduced within their first mayoral term,” a statement from the conglomerate read.

Outgoing mayor Boris Johnson was bullish about his proposals to tackle air quality in the capital, claiming that the ultra-low emissions zones (ULEZs) he created would stand as part of his legacy along with Boris Bikes. However, critics have complained that the intended implementation date of September 2020 for the new regulations is far too late.

Prior to taking to his new post on May 9^th, Sadiq Khan had pledged to consult with experts on bringing the ULEZ start date forward, and environmentalists will now be hoping he keeps his word.

MPs Call for Airport Expansion Opposition

In addition to the Clean Air Zones, MPs have also called on Mr Khan to address the issue of a potential third runway at Heathrow Airport. Since 2010, London has consistently failed to meet EU regulations on air quality, racking up millions of pounds’ worth of fines in the process. While the 2012 Olympics did draw attention to the dynamism and potential of London as a global business hub, it also highlighted the poor standards of air quality in the capital.

It’s feared that a third runway would only exacerbate this problem by increasing pollution from more air traffic, as well as road traffic ferrying passengers to and from the terminal.

“One of the most urgent issues facing London is the devastation that a new runway at Heathrow would pose to the lives of millions of Londoners,” read a letter to Mr Khan signed by 12 MPs, eight town hall leaders and several other political figures, including the previous mayor Johnson and Mr Khan’s rival in the run-up to the election, Zac Goldsmith.