Red Ken’s Green Plan

The Guardian on Livingstone’s latest for the city of London:

Cleaning up the Big Smoke: Livingstone plans to cut carbon emissions by 60%

· Londoners given 20-year target to go green
· Flights could drastically affect success of campaign

David Adam and Hugh Muir
Tuesday February 27, 2007
The Guardian

A detailed plan to slash London’s carbon emissions by 60% within 20 years and place the city at the forefront of the battle against climate change will be announced today by Ken Livingstone.The mayor will appeal to Londoners to stop using energy wastefully and will urge businesses to embrace green technology to heat and light offices and workplaces.

Mr Livingstone wants a quarter of London’s electricity supply to be shifted from the national grid to local combined heat-and-power systems by 2025. The city will offer “green gurus” to help families make their lifestyles more environmentally friendly, and will subsidise supplies of cavity wall and loft insulation.

The move is the most far-reaching attempted by a big city in the UK, but dozens of others are also planning action to cut emissions. Nearly 200 local authorities have a signed a pledge to take action, known as the Nottingham Declaration, and other cities, such as Birmingham, have set targets to reduce greenhouse gases.Officials say the “vast majority” of the measures announced today will save money, mainly in reduced fuel and energy bills. They estimate that half the required carbon savings can be made through simple changes in behaviour.