London's Engagement with COP26

Appendix 1 London Assembly Environment Committee – Tuesday 13 July 2021 Transcript of Agenda Item 9 – London's Engagement with COP26 Zack Polanski AM (Chair): Can I welcome our guests here in the Chamber. We have Peter Daw, Interim Assistant Director of Environment and Energy and Head of Climate Change for the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Elliot Treharne, Interim Assistant Director for Environment and Energy GLA. Thank you very much for joining us. Joining us virtually is Frances Way, the Executive Director of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). For our first hour only we also have Keith Bottomley, Vice Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee and Chairman of the Environmental Services Committee of the City of London Corporation. Please also note we are going to be joined by Farhana Yamin, an Adviser for the Climate Vulnerable Forum and Associate Fellow, Chatham House If I can kick off with the first question, which is to Frances Way. What is the role of London and other global cities in combatting climate change and supporting the [UN Climate Change] Conference of the Parties (COP) goals? Frances Way (Executive Director, United Nations Framework Convention): To introduce my role very quickly, I head up the Climate Champions Team, which is the team that supports Gonzalo Muñoz [High Level Champion] of Chile from COP25 and Nigel Topping [High Level Champion] of the United Kingdom (UK) from COP26, who are the United Nations (UN) High Level Climate Action Champions. We work very closely with the UNFCCC - I am not employed by the UNFCCC - and in partnership with the UK Presidency. The Champions have this mandate to work with the non-state actor community. That is the cities, the regions, the businesses, investors, civil society, to strengthen ambition, accelerate action, and facilitate that collaboration between the non-state actors and the parties. In terms of cities and the role that they should play, and in particular London, COP21 in Paris delivered the promise the world was going to act on climate change and COP26 in Glasgow has to show this action is a reality. Therefore there is going to be a sharp focus on immediate action and what we need to achieve by 2030, as well as recognition that implementation of the Paris Agreement can only really be achieved through coordinated action and mass collaboration across the whole of society. Since cities represent more than half the world’s population, 80% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and more than 75% of energy-related emissions, we recognise that cities are really powerful climate leaders with political clout. They can, from a policymaker point of view, incubate supply, demand and finance levers. As centres of commerce and finance and culture and innovation, cities are really important in terms of the solutions needed and being on the front line of implementation. Many cities, including London, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change, such as heatwaves and flooding. Therefore, the role of cities at COP26 is really important. What we are asking cities to do is join our campaign Race to Zero, which London is already in. This is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from all stakeholders by committing to net-zero by mid-century at the latest and halving emissions by 2030. As London is already in, what it really can do is help us get to the target of 1,000 cities by COP26 - we are currently at 733 - and use its influence with other cities to really show how this is done, role-model what can be done and the ambition needed and bring others along and share learning. 1 Join the Race to Resilience, is a sibling campaign [to Race to Zero], which is about improving resilience, especially in marginalised and vulnerable communities. But more generally for all cities we are expecting them to take action from a transport perspective, banning the sale of passenger internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035; committing to a zero emissions area, which London is very good at; decarbonising public transport such as shifting to zero emission buses; committing to 100% decarbonised power by 2035; phasing out coal in cities where it is used; and thinking about urban development to curtail sprawl and promote compact cities that encourage active transport or transit-orientated development. We are expecting them to adopt environment policies that require new buildings to operate at net zero carbon by 2030 and all buildings at net zero by 2050 and to commit to protect and restore natural habitats from a nature point of view. From a finance point of view, to think about assets and pension funds that can be divested from fossil fuel companies as soon as possible. But also, most importantly, advocating for national policies on planning, transport, air quality, etc, and working with the local authority leaders to implement them. Zack Polanski AM (Chair): Thank you very much, Frances. Keith, could I ask you a similar question, for brief opening remarks in terms of the role of London and other global cities in combatting climate change and supporting those COP goals? Keith Bottomley (Vice Chairman of Policy & Resources Committee, Chairman of the Environmental Services Committee, City of London Corporation): It is very good to be here. Apologies, I have to leave by 11.00am to Chair the Environment Committee of the City of London Corporation. I am happy to follow up on any of the conversations separately. Cities are clearly crucial here, as Frances has said. It is the case that by 2080 the world will have 10 billion people, 80% of them will be in 10,000 cities. There is just no alternative to well-run, low-carbon cities if we are going to have 10 billion people on a finite planet. That really is the starting point for me. There is also now a very clear understanding of what it takes to decarbonise a city, whether you are looking at a coalition on urban transitions or clean or connected or compact, electrification, etc. There is an awful lot of coalescence around what is required. The critical factor in all of this principally is finance. COP26 for all, and for the City of London Corporation in particular, presents a really crucial opportunity to demonstrate that private sector finance stands ready to invest in green transition. Not just the green transition needed in London, but elsewhere. We are working very hard to advance that agenda, Chair. Zack Polanski AM (Chair): Thank you very much, Keith. I am going to hand over to Assembly Member Devenish. Tony Devenish AM (Deputy Chairman): To Elliot to start off with, how will the Mayor use COP26 to promote the objectives of the London Environment Strategy? Elliot Treharne (Interim Assistant Director for Environment and Energy, Greater London Authority): We might do a swap: to explain to the Committee, Peter [Daw] and I do a job share and we divvy up various things between us. If we jump in on slightly different questions, apologies for that, but it might mean that you get slightly better answers. Therefore, Pete, I will hand that one over to you. Peter Daw (Interim Assistant Director, Environment and Energy and Head of Climate Change, Greater London Authority): Thank you, Elliot. Both of the speakers already have set out the role that cities need to play in terms of taking climate action. In relation to both the Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) and our own 2 climate commitments, we are developing a programme of activity, along with partners, both in the leadup to and during COP itself. The reasons for that are four: one is to showcase London as a leader in tackling climate change. That is fair. That drives economic growth and also drives the improvements in equalities we want to see in the city as well across all of the COP themes, energy transitions, clean transport, green financing, nature, adaptation and resilience. COP26 also presents an important part of the journey for the Mayor in terms of making the case to central government for greater funding and devolved powers to help us go quicker and accelerate our activity in London to help us achieve 2030 while showcasing what we can do as well. It presents a great opportunity for us to encourage sectors we need to do more to take action as well. The business sector, the finance sector, for example, two key sectors we need to see really taking the mantle in London. Also, it presents a great chance to inspire Londoners and London stakeholders to commit and do more in relation to improving the city we live in. The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor today are at the UK100 National Net Zero Conference making the case to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for greater involvement, coordination and devolution of powers to local government and cities, as an example of some of the work we are currently doing. They are currently in there right at this moment, which is why you have Elliot and I today. We also have a range of other activities, which I have already started. We had London Climate Action Week at the end of June and beginning of July. Again, we used that as a staging post for talking to particular stakeholders we want to see take more action and inspiring them to do so. Therefore we held a London Business Climate Summit and we had around 200 attendees at that where we were able to showcase some of the London business climate leaders and the actions they are taking towards accelerating progress to net zero.

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