London must prepare for new climate extremes
Floods, extreme temperatures, wildfires… the new London Plan must not treat planning for freak weather as an optional extra, says Emma Howard Boyd
London and New York are officially the world’s most globally connected cities.
Not only are both classed as ‘supercities’ but they are also the world’s only combined financial, commercial and cultural superhubs, according to a recent report by the Globalisation and World Cities Research Network.
But how secure is that connectedness? We may be beginning to find out.
Just last week, New York City and New Jersey declared a state of emergency after heavy rainfall grounded flights and flooded the subway system.
As the New York Times recently reported, the city also stands to lose over 80,000 homes to flooding in the next 15 years, compounding an already severe housing crisis across the city.
In London, we are moving into new territory, with wildfires a new phenomenon. Just last week wildfires broke out in north-east London, following a series of wildfires that destroyed 17 houses in Wennington in 2022.
Meanwhile flood is an increasingly an ever-present danger that only threatens to increase, with 42 per cent of our London’s commercial buildings facing the threat of flooding in future, according to Zurich UK
Extreme heat can shut down transport networks and hospitals in London and flash floods can devastate homes and businesses. So following the horrific events in Valencia last autumn, we should be prepared for new extremes we haven’t yet experienced.
This month is a year since I led the London Climate Resilience Review, which reported on London’s preparedness for climate impacts including heatwaves, wildfires, floods, droughts, storms and sea level rise.
The headline is: preparing for more extreme weather is non-negotiable to protect both people and the economy.
Londoners must prepare for climate impacts like extreme heat and floods that could end lives across the capital and cost the economy a fortune.
The Mayor of London called for the Review after parts of London received more than twice the average July rainfall in 2021 and 387 Londoners died in 2022’s heatwaves when the UK saw 40 degrees for the first time.
The new London Plan will be out later this year. It is produced by the Mayor of London and is a blueprint for development and growth in London. It includes policies on new homes, workplaces, public transport and open spaces.
It aims to guide the city’s development until 2050, but it must not treat resilience as an optional extra, but as a fundamental requirement for all new development.
Greener cities
The Plan rightly aims to deliver 880,000 new homes, but it must be explicit that these homes are built resilient to future climate impacts.
Homes exist to provide shelter and it would be a cruel irony to build “affordable” homes that are uninhabitable or expensive to repair and retrofit. Developers must not be allowed to cut costs by locking in vulnerability for our aging population.
Better still, the solutions that exist, such as addressing surface water flooding through nature-based solutions, designed in collaboration with communities, can make our cities greener, healthier and more beautiful, welcoming and inclusive.
The Mayor demonstrated great leadership in commissioning the London Climate Resilience Review and accepting its recommendations.
Few politicians have held up the mirror in this way.
Now, a year on, Londoners deserve to see that leadership translated into action. The new London Plan is a massive opportunity for the Mayor to show he is delivering on his commitment to make London more climate resilient.
This is his moment to fix the roof while the sun shines, making London a greener, cleaner and healthier place for all Londoners to live.
Emma Howard Boyd was the Independent Chair of the London Climate Resilience Review and is a former Chair of the Environment Agency.