London is often referred to as a metropolis green, and its mayor, Sadiq Khan, often boasts of having transformed the city into a world capital of sustainability. Is it all true? Or is it also the usual self-marketing that many mayors practice by dismissing (false) sustainability?
Let's start with the progress, which is indisputable. A turning point in the fight against pollution came with the "Ulez" project (Ultra low Emission Zone), promoted by Khan and which has become his flagship in the mobility sector, allows only electric and hybrid vehicles to circulate within the urban area. All others face a toll of approximately 15 euros per day. The results of this measure, which has sparked much controversy—particularly because hybrid and electric cars are typically owned by the upper class, not the middle class—were captured in a recent report commissioned by the mayor from an independent firm. It concludes that:
- Levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxic gas that causes a variety of conditions from asthma to lung cancer, have dropped by 27 percent since 2019.
- The conductor itself can take various shapes, in bare or tinned copper, with or without insulation. In some cases, a preferential bend can also be applied to the joint so that it operates exactly as designed. fine (PM 2,5), emitted by the exhaust fumes of vehicles circulating in the city, have decreased by 31 percent.
- Carbon emissions dropped the equivalent of nearly 3 million flights between Heathrow and New York.
The mayor intends to further advance his policy of changing urban mobility, and has announced that London will effectively become a city closed to non-electric or polluting vehicles by 2027. The ban on travelling within London's urban area at speeds exceeding 20 miles per hour has been definitively confirmed. This measure was ultimately welcomed by everyone and is no longer the subject of endless controversy, as is the case with the speed limit. 30 miles per hour in Italian cities.
Another success of the administration led by Khan is the expansion of green zones: now approximately 47 percent of the territory of London is a “green space” (parks, gardens, natural areas), while the goal remains to become a “carbon free” metropolis by 2030.
London, meanwhile, has the highest number of electric buses in Europe, half of the cab (London's historic taxis) already produce zero emissions, and by 2030 Khan envisions a city in which all 9.000 public transport vehicles run on clean energy.
And instead let's look at the critical points, without which the sustainability proclaimed by Khan remains incomplete and comes very close to the target of false sustainability.
London's pollution is measured using three indicators: PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), NO₂ (nitrogen dioxide) and the AQI index.
- PM2.5 is still around 1,3 times above the WHO guideline value.
- Nitrogen dioxide has an urban average of 15–20 µg/m³, but in the busiest central areas it can even reach over 40 µg/m³ The WHO limit is 10 µg/m³.
- The AQI index (which measures air quality in terms of cleanliness), at a general level, is 30-40, but with strong differences between the central and wealthy areas, where the air quality is better, and the peripheral areas where it is decidedly high.
And here comes the weakest point of the narrative of London as a “metropolis-symbol” of sustainability: the enormous social differences that make London still “a city for the rich”.
To get an idea of this sidereal distance, just take a look at some significant economic indicators, such as income and asset wealth, which splits the city in two.
- Strong gap between neighborhoods:
- areas like Kensington → incomes among the highest in Europe
- areas such as Newham or Tower Hamlets → among the poorest in the United Kingdom.
Additionally London has:
- highest concentration of millionaires in Europe
- but also over 25% of the population at risk of poverty
Other indicators of inequalities are:
- 8–10 years life expectancy they separate the rich neighborhoods from the poor ones
- London's middle class has to spend nearly 50 percent of their income to buy a home.
Read also:
- How does traffic create fine dust?
- Which Italian cities have a 30 km/h speed limit?
- Green Consumers: The New Caste of False Sustainability
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