London set to miss net-zero target but can take comfort in new water fountains. Or maybe not
Story 211
Climate change - Updated long-term forecasts
We start with more on those updated long-term climate change forecasts. We can now expect a ‘lower ceiling but higher floor’ for global warming.
Instead of the 4–5ºC warming by 2100 once feared, Climate Action Tracker estimates the world is now heading towards a lower, but still dangerous, 2.6ºC of warming, thanks to a decade of climate policy and clean-energy expansion.
As Katharine Hayhoe explains:
Additional warming intensifies heat waves, flooding, drought, freshwater scarcity, sea level rise, and many other impacts.
Climate change - London to miss net-zero target
BBC News reports that the Mayor of London has admitted the capital is set to miss its 2030 net-zero target.
Sir Sadiq Khan said measures such as ULEZ had delivered significant cuts in carbon emissions. But he argued London needed greater devolved powers over energy policy and the electricity grid.
The Mayor has more influence over London’s streets than its power sockets
Why this matters:
Targets serve several purposes. One of them is to help us understand whether enough progress is being made. Four years from the deadline, this target is helping the Mayor make the case for greater devolution. So far, there has been no substantive response from the UK government
It is worth recalling that the Mayor’s Accelerated Green Pathway envisaged some huge shifts by 2030, including more than 2 million homes insulated, 2.2 million heat pumps installed and a 27% reduction in car kilometres travelled.
Remember: the Mayor has more influence over London’s streets than its power sockets. He has significant influence over transport, some leverage over retrofit, less over heat pumps and very little direct control over the electricity grid.
Regardless, progress appears to be falling well short of what those targets require.
Perhaps another reason to keep Hammersmith Bridge car-free?
Climate change - An Inconvenient Truth .. tweaked
Twenty years after the film, the New York Times reported, Al Gore has updated his famous slide show to reflect how the climate conversation has changed.
Nature - Barnes2050 now loves trees: you should, too
A useful reminder, during the recent heatwave, of the value of trees as providers of natural shade.
Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, shared this image taken during the recent heatwave: temperatures at two locations, which are close to each other in the City of London, taken at the same time on the same day.
Why this matters:
Barnes2050 is more concerned with the threat of heat than water
At least one place in Barnes is crying out for canopy protection.
Welcome to Barnes2050, a place-based futures project asking: how do we make sure Barnes - the place and its people - is thriving and climate-ready by 2050?
Transport - Forest, the other sort
Richmond council officially launched its new Forest e‑bike scheme on 1 June, replacing the previous operator Lime service.
The council says the switch will deliver a fully borough‑wide network, with around 1,500 bikes available across all communities rather than concentrated in a few hotspots.
The council hopes to see a continued growth in hired e-bike journeys, which topped 1.5 million in the brough last year.
The council hopes to see continued growth in hired e-bike journeys, which topped 1.5 million in the borough last year.
Forest bikes have begin to appear throughout Barnes. At the same time, Lime will begin reducing the number of bikes as it winds down operations. Some Lime bikes may remain for a short period during the transition period.
Richmond Council says users can locate, unlock and pay for bikes through the Forest app. The operator is also offering rides of up to 30 minutes for £1 throughout the first month.
To mark the launch, Forest is also offering Richmond residents an exclusive deal of 400 minutes for £13.99 a month throughout June.
Transport - London public transport settled at about 80% of pre-pandemic peak
Elsewhere Britain has fallen back in love with travel, just not public transport.
The key numbers:
London buses: 83% of pre-Covid levels
London Tube: 78%.
For comparison, figures for the whole of the UK:
Motor traffic: 105% of pre-Covid levels
National Rail: 105%, though excluding Elizabeth line services
Buses outside London: 84%.
All figures from Department for Transport.
Housing - Rooftop solar is having a moment
.. thanks, probably to the last heatwave and President’s Trump and Putin.
Dave Jones, citing Google Trends said, in April almost twice as many people googled ‘solar panel’ than in any month, ever.
Infrastructure - Water cooler
Another belated heatwave story.
The Mayor of London was very proud of these new water fountains:
There were so many negative comments online. Create Streets described it as,
a classic example of how we continue to diminish the public realm.
Why this matters:
My reaction in real life matched the online response
Maybe it would look good in Paris, which has a thing for the contemporary — think Louvre, Renault Twingo — living cheek by jowl with the medieval. But not London
As we respond to climate change, we will need to refashion our shared public spaces. We need to do so in ways that complement, perhaps even enhance, our Georgian and Victorian landscape.
Governance - new Richmond council chairs
Finally, Richmond council confirmed the new committee chairs following the clean sweep by Liberal Democrats. A popular vote for continuity is reflected in these appointments.