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London Mayor: Livingstone greenest, says Friends of the Earth

Apr 30 2008

Low carbon London must be a priority for election winner

Ken Livingstone is the ‘greenest’ of the three main candidates to be Mayor of London, Friends of the Earth said today.

The environmental campaign group analysed the election manifestos of the three principal contenders and concluded that Mr Livingstone has the strongest green credentials scoring nine out of ten, with Boris Johnson second (7/10) and Brian Paddick third (5/10).

Friends of the Earth is calling on the next Mayor of London to put the environment at the heart of their term in office and make London a world leader in tackling climate change. In particular the next Mayor must:

• Implement the London Climate Change Action Plan aimed at significant cuts in London’s carbon footprint (60% cut in London’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2025);

• Set targets for saving energy from homes and buildings in the capital, and use clean, renewable energy technologies such as solar panels;

• Oppose plans to expand London airports;

• Cut carbon dioxide emissions from traffic in London by tackling traffic and congestion across the whole capital. This should include higher charges for motorists that drive gas-guzzlers into the congestion charge zone.

Friends of the Earth assessed the environment, economy, transport and housing policies in the election manifestos of the three main candidates for Mayor of London in order to reach the final score.

Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper said:

“As Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has put environmental issues at the heart of his policy making. He is one of the few British politicians to have shown genuine leadership on green issues and put London at the forefront of efforts to tackle climate change. His manifesto is full of exciting plans to go even further. Of the three main candidates for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone is the greenest.

“Boris Johnson’s pledge to ‘take action to make London the greenest city in the world’ is welcome, and his manifesto has a number of proposals for achieving this. But his plans to scrap the £25 congestion charge on gas-guzzling vehicles and other, sometimes vague, green pledges cast doubt on whether he will achieve it.

“The Liberal Democrats have historically had very green policies. But, despite having some interesting ideas, Brian Paddick’s manifesto is far too sketchy. The lack of a clear target to tackle climate change is a significant oversight.”

A detailed analysis of the three main candidates’ election manifestos (PDF†)

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