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London Climate Resilience review launch

Posted on 17/07/24 by Yisum Heneghan

Today sees the launch of the final report of the London Climate Resilience Review (LCRR), an independent review commissioned by the Mayor of London into how well prepared London is for climate impacts.

Read the full and interim reports here: The London Climate Resilience Review | London City Hall

The Mayor commissioned Emma Howard Boyd, previous chair of the Environment Agency, to undertake a review into the threats posed by heatwaves, flooding, drought, wildfire, storms, sea level rises and subsidence. The Review began in 2022 and was called for after parts of London received more than twice the average  July rainfall in 2021 and a 40C heatwave in 2022.

Alongside immediate dangers to people’s lives and livelihoods the Review found that government and businesses have not adequately planned for the disruption caused when severe weather impacts “cascade” through critical systems like healthcare, transport, energy and water.

The Report makes a series of recommendations for government, and civil society on how to address the need to adapt our city to these threats and create a fairer, greener, more resilient future city.

The publication of the Review comes weeks after the general election, during which the Labour manifesto pledged to improve climate resilience and preparation at a national and local level.

The London Climate Ready Partnership worked closely with the review team and Emma to advise and support the development of the recommendations and looks forward to working with our partners and other stakeholders across London to realise the ambitious actions outlined in this final report.

Key points in the LCRR

• Climate impacts in London happen together. The 40°C heatwave occurred at the same time as drought and wildfires, heatwaves are often followed by flash flooding.
• The new government’s plans to build more homes and better infrastructure must include updating resilience and technical standards above the weather extremes London can expect in the coming decades.
• The UK’s ageing population, and particularly older people over 65 in care homes, are at the highest risk of heat-related mortality.
• The deadline for upgrading flood defences upstream of the Thames Barrier is 2050, and downstream it is 2040; a new Barrier is needed by 2070.
• London’s trees, and other green and blue spaces, are under threat from heatwaves, wildfires and windstorms. This weakens London’s resilience because trees reduce street temperatures in heatwaves and decrease flood risk.
• Around 43% of London properties are likely to be affected by subsidence by 2030.
• Based on the work of the London Surface Water Strategic Group, UK government should create a Strategic Surface Water Authority for London, led by an independent and non-political Chair, to promote, enforce, and allocate funds in-line with a strategic London-wide approach to flooding.
• According to analysis for the Review by Paul Watkiss Associates climate change is likely to impact London’s GDP by 2-3% every year by the 2050s, with costs increasing further in late century.

Bob Ward, Chair of the LCRP and Policy and Communications Director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, stated:
“This excellent report makes clear that everybody who lives and works in London, including communities, companies and governments, need to contribute to the task of making London more resilient to the growing impacts of climate change. It is particularly essential that the new Labour Government now re-sets the relationship with London’s Mayor and boroughs to work together effectively on accelerating adaptation and on aligning national and local policies. A critically key issue is to act with much greater urgency on preventing overheating in offices and homes, which kills hundreds of people across the capital each year and costs the London economy billions of pounds through lower productivity.”