Greener London could follow in Copenhagen's carbon footsteps

12 March 2010

By Mike Brooke

MORE renewable energy plants and diverting waste from landfill could all help London follow in the carbon ‘footsteps’ of Copenhagen, Europe’s greenest city.

An expert from the Danish capital has been giving tips to the London Assembly on how to check Boris Johnson’s proposed ‘climate change’ strategy.

The Mayor is aiming to cut London’s carbon emissions by 60 per cent in the next 15 years.

Peter Elsman, former Head of Copenhagen City’s Environment & Energy Department, suggested several ideas when he addressed the Assembly’s environment committee yesterday.

These include incinerating more waste to produce heat and power instead of going to landfill, creating more low emission and renewable energy plants, improving building insulation and even more cycle lanes.

The Assembly’s environment chair Murad Qureshi said: “London has a long way to go compared with Copenhagen. But what we’ve heard will help reach our carbon reduction goals.”

Copenhagen has become the Continent’s greenest city, according to latest EU statistics. It plans to become the first carbon neutral capital in the world by 2025.

The committee also quizzed the Mayor’s environmental advisor Isabel Dedring on City Hall’s strategy looking at renewable energy, transport, the economy and low-carbon technology.

One of the challenges reducing CO2 emissions is the significant differences from household to household, she told the committee. It depended on individual house size and how powerful each vehicle was which made the biggest contribution to individual carbon ‘footprints.’