MyLondon's 'Wasted' campaign launches today to investigate the most pressing environmental threats facing the capital and hold local authorities accountable for their climate promises. With new leadership in many borough councils, the project aims to remind officials of the importance of delivering on environmental commitments.
Climate Emergency Declarations
Between 2019 and 2020, 28 of London's 33 councils declared a climate emergency, vowing to combat climate change. Since then, significant progress has been made in rewilding, reducing carbon emissions, and planting trees. However, some councils are now backtracking, opting for cheaper diesel waste vehicles or pausing net-zero plans due to financial pressures.
Key Environmental Threats
The 'Wasted' campaign will focus on several critical issues:
- Sewage misconnections: Thousands of misconnections are pumping raw sewage directly into London's rivers.
- Water leaks: An obscene amount of water is lost through leaky infrastructure.
- Data centres: Up to 60 data centres in the planning pipeline threaten London's water and energy supplies.
- Flooding risk: The capital faces increased flood threats, and dozens of species are at risk of extinction.
A Call to Action
MyLondon Editor Deanne Blaylock stated: 'When London's boroughs united to declare a climate emergency in 2019, it felt like a genuine turning point. But that early ambition is faltering. We cannot allow temporary financial pressures to become an excuse for permanent environmental damage. Quietly reverting to cheaper diesel fleets or pausing net zero plans is a dangerous false economy.'
She added: 'Through our Wasted campaign, MyLondon is drawing a line in the sand. It is simply unacceptable that in a world-class city, raw sewage is still being routinely pumped into our rivers, and precious resources are haemorrhaging through broken, leaky infrastructure. These are immediate blights on our local communities, ecosystems, and health that demand urgent action.'
Highlighting Positive Initiatives
While the campaign will expose failures, it will also celebrate successful local environmental initiatives. Readers are encouraged to email david.comeau@reachplc.com with information about brilliant projects or under-reported issues.
The 'Wasted' campaign is led by Local Democracy Content Editor Dave Comeau. Follow reporting on the Wasted tag page. Sign our petition calling on the UK Government to ban councils from making people homeless if they refuse long-distance housing moves.
