London Mayor Sadiq Khan has conceded that the capital will not achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030, calling for greater devolution over energy policy to address the shortfall.
Sir Sadiq, who first pledged the ambitious target six years ago during his re-election campaign, said his policies—including the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and the electrification of the bus fleet—have driven significant progress in reducing emissions. However, he admitted that a lack of direct control over the energy grid, which still relies heavily on fossil fuels, makes the 2030 goal unattainable.
Progress and Limitations
The Mayor highlighted that bodies under his control through the Greater London Authority (GLA), such as Transport for London (TfL) and the London Fire Brigade (LFB), are on track to meet the target. Yet, broader London-wide emissions remain off course.
During Mayor's Question Time on May 21, London Assembly Member and Green Party Leader Zack Polanski criticized City Hall's approach as "siloed," with individual measures failing to integrate effectively. Sir Sadiq acknowledged the criticism as "fair," pointing to fragmented funding streams as a key obstacle.
Call for Integrated Funding
"If we had an integrated settlement, monies devolved to London in one pot, we could have some joined-upness," the Mayor said. He noted that while the 2026-2029 Integrated Settlement granted by the government ties funding to specific outcomes, it does not grant the Mayor authority over the energy grid.
Sir Sadiq emphasized the potential of public sector procurement power: "TfL uses its procurement power to change the market. If you think about the police, fire service, NHS—the public sector in London has the power to change the market."
Energy Grid and Retrofitting
"The grid has got to change—a lot of the problems we are having are because the grid relies on fossil fuels. If we can change that, the opportunities are huge," he said. He also stressed the need for building retrofits: "We've also got to retrofit buildings—we can't give people renewables in new buildings and cheaper bills but then let it all out again."
Mr Polanski later told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We need to be honest about the scale of the challenge London still faces from the climate crisis. The Mayor is right to say London isn't on course for net zero by 2030, we should be targeting more effort at that now. And this should be non-negotiable. Climate science doesn't care about politics."
Future Plans
Sir Sadiq pledged to provide Londoners with the "tools" to reduce their bills and continue pushing a mass retrofitting programme. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government was contacted for comment but did not respond.
