Engineers call for steps to improve London's air quality

Engineers and climate change experts attending the Institution of Civil Engineers' (ICE) debate about London's environmental future agreed that steps need to be taken beyond cutting carbon dioxide emissions.

Kevin Anderson, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, stressed that the problem of CO2 emissions needs to be dealt with immediately.

"Cumulative emissions are what count - this is not a long term problem, but one that must be tackled today," he stated.

Martin Powell from the London Development Agency echoed his sentiments and pointed out that the city's mayor will need to invest "billions of pounds" if London's ambitious target of a 60 per cent cut in CO2 output by 2025 is to be met.

However, he added that there will be a return on this investment.

Under the UK Climate Change Act, the country has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas output by 80 per cent by 2050, compared with 1990 levels. It also stipulates that 34 per cent of this reduction must take place by 2020.

Posted by Joseph Hutton