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G8 SUMMIT: London Makes a Long-Distance Call

Sanjay Suri

LONDON, Jun 20 2005 (IPS) - When London city launched climate control measures Monday, it was doing more than something for itself, or the planet. It was a direct message to the G8 summit that other cities can do what London can, and that national leaders can show the way.

The Group of Eight (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and United States) will hear from London that talk of controlling climate change is not just in the air. London has for centuries tried to show Scotland the way; this message could be among the most far-reaching because it is intended to go well beyond Scotland.

The G8 leaders will meet in Gleneagles in Scotland July 6-8 at a summit where host Britain has declared climate change one of the two priorities, along with the development of Africa.

Political and business leaders have joined together to tackle London’s carbon dioxide emissions through the new London Climate Change Agency (CCA). Establishing such an agency was one of the manifesto commitments made last year by London’s mayor Ken Livingstone.

But the launch of the agency now is being projected as a message to the G8 leaders on the need to give practical shape to agreements and declarations on climate change.

It was a colourful launch at Trafalgar Square on Monday in the heart of London amidst a photographic exhibition showing the impact of climate change and the innovative solutions being implemented around the world to tackle it. The presence of Livingstone, executive vice-president of BP Vivienne Cox and Greenpeace executive director Stephen Tindale at the launch underlined the need for link between government, business and civil society in fighting climate change.

"The agency has been set up to work with business to try and minimise the impact of climate change and to develop new resources in renewable energy," Hilary Merrett from the mayor’s office told IPS. "It will be funded by the London Development Agency (a government body) and its private sector founding members."

London is the first city in Britain to create such an agency, she said. Some of the founding supporters are the leading private sector companies BP, HSBC, Lafarge, Legal & General, Sir Robert McAlpine, and Johnson Matthey.

The launch is a part of a new energy strategy that commits London to reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide 20 percent relative to the 1990 level by 2010. The London Climate Change Agency is expected to be a key force in accelerating reductions in emissions in the British capital.

"This will be a combination of combined cooling, heat and power, energy efficiency, renewables and other innovative technology in new developments and retrofit projects," the mayor’s office said in a statement.

"Climate change has now become a problem the world cannot ignore," Livingstone said at the launch. "Large, major energy-consuming cities like London have both a responsibility to reduce their carbon emissions, and, by virtue of a high density of population, the greatest opportunity to take advantage of new energy systems and renewable energy."

The initiative from London city won strong backing from Prime Minister Tony Blair. "National governments play a key role in tackling the growing threat of climate change," he said in a statement. "That is why I have made this issue a priority for the G8 summit and we are working hard with our international partners to get the best possible result. But we need action at all levels – individuals, businesses, and local government."

The agency will work first to tackle emissions from some of London’s most famous buildings.

"Seventy percent of London’s carbon dioxide emissions come from buildings," said secretary of the state for the environment Margaret Beckett. "The government is already tackling energy use in buildings through the revision of the building regulations, the sustainable buildings code and through the implementation of the energy performance buildings directive. But there is scope to do more and I look forward to seeing the results of the Agency’s leadership in this very important area."

Tindale said this initiative "puts London at the forefront of the fight against climate change. Making major cities ‘zero emission’ is achievable and urgent if we are to stop the climate spiralling out of control."

The London Climate Change Agency will be involved in the city’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics and then deliver a low-carbon Games.