Climate review calls for ‘reset moment’ following election to prepare London for extreme weather

The London Climate Resilience Review has published its full and final report into London’s preparedness for climate impacts including heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires, storms, sea level rise and subsidence.

The Mayor of London called for the Review after parts of London received more than twice the average July rainfall in 2021, and Londoners died in 2022’s 40°C heatwave.

The publication of the Review comes days after the general election, during which the Labour manifesto pledged to improve climate resilience and preparation at a national and local level.

To deliver large scale change at pace the Review calls for urgent attention and action in the following six areas:

1. A strategic, London-wide, action plan on heat risk is needed.
2. Despite greater coordination of stakeholders since the floods of 2021, London is not prepared for another major surface water flooding incident and lives and livelihoods are at risk.
3. London must accelerate work to understand cascading risks and system interdependencies within and beyond London’s boundaries.
4. National, regional and local governments must do more to enable investment in climate resilience.
5. Londoners should be engaged on climate impacts, the risks they pose and adaptation options.
6. All the above must be coordinated strategically. A shared regional vision and framework for adaptation is important.

The London Climate Resilience Review’s research focused on people and places in London, but this should not deter readers from other towns and cities. The recommendations are relevant globally, with some already being implemented in cities from Scotland to Colombia, Bangladesh and Australia.

The Mayor and others have already acted on some of the recommendations. Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Review, was pleased to attend London’s extreme heat exercise ‘Operation Helios’ in June this year.

“We are entering a new era. In 2024, even as El Niño fades, we are set for another record-breaking year of deadly heatwaves, wildfires and storms. In the last year, floods in the UK have upended lives and battered local economies. 

“The Mayor of London took a world-leading step by calling for an independent review of London’s climate resilience. The health and security of Londoners and the health of the national economy are inseparable. 

“This is a reset moment for efforts to increase the UK’s stability in the face of global climate disruption. As the new government takes action to end the cost-of-living crisis, protecting the lives and livelihoods of working people from extreme weather is non-negotiable.”

Emma Howard Boyd CBE, Chair of the London Climate Resilience Review.

In 2022, the Mayor established the £3.1m Trees for London programme with the aim of increasing London’s resilience to extreme weather of the type experienced that summer.

In the first two years the programme has funded the planting of more than 115,000 trees prioritising areas of high heat and flood risk. To maintain this momentum in its final year, the Mayor has awarded the Trees for London Programme an additional £1m to help make London a fairer, greener more resilient city.

“Climate change is one of the biggest dangers our capital faces, and its effects cannot be ignored. I welcome this review, which I commissioned after seeing first-hand during recent years how extreme weather can devastate communities, ruin businesses and end lives.

“It is essential that we invest in key sectors and prepare our public services so that London can continue to grow and thrive in the face of climate change, and the review provides clarity and direction on how to do this. This is also an issue of social justice as the review makes clear it is Londoners on lower incomes that are most exposed to the impacts of dangerous climate change. 

“I accept the recommendations made to City Hall, and we will work to take forward the recommendations over the coming months, working with our new national Government, local councils, businesses and London’s communities. We do not have a moment to waste.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

The Review gathered evidence from individuals, communities and organisations
including the NHS, Transport for London, London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police, Borough Councils, the GLA, UK government, NGOs, the financial services sector, sports
and cultural institutions as well as representatives of vulnerable groups.

Alongside immediate dangers to people’s lives and livelihoods the Review found that government and businesses have not adequately planned for the disruption caused when severe weather impacts ‘cascade’ through critical systems like healthcare, transport, energy and water.

The National Preparedness Commission congratulates Emma Howard Boyd CBE and her team on the publication of the final report of the London Climate Resilience Review.

“This groundbreaking report sets out that preparing for more frequent and extreme climate risks is non-negotiable.

“We must act to prevent and prepare for cascading multi-network failure during extreme weather and ensure that our systems are resilient and communities safe.”

National Preparedness Commission.

Read the London Climate Resilience Review’s full report here.

Emergency Services Times has hosted several webinars on climate change, you can watch our previous ones on demand here. Join us for our next webinar ‘Preparing for: extreme heat, implementing the learning from summer 2022‘ happening on 25 July at 2pm.