Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa September 2013 | Page 62

LONDON

Green London

BY MIKE SMUTS

Invest in the future of eco-housing

C

ities have a central role to play in mitigating
climate change. They consume 75 per cent
of the world’s energy and produce 80 per
cent of its greenhouse gas emissions.

each tree, in terms of aesthetic value, pollution
and rainfall management at £8,000 - meaning
the total value of London’s trees is more than
£4 billion.

It may therefore come as a surprise to many to
learn that London is one of the greenest cities in the
world. Viewed from the air, more than half of the
area is green or blue – amazing for one of the world’s
major cities. Towering glass skyscrapers coexist
with allotments, rivers, beautiful parks, gardens
and tree-lined streets.

And London is also relatively “green” in the
energy efficient sense as well, with Londoners
being responsible for just 8 per cent of the UK’s
total emissions (equivalent to an estimated 44
million tons of CO2 in 2006).

These precious lungs of greenery, all contribute to
the capital’s ‘urban forest’ – with London boasting
six million trees. One recent study put the value of

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has
always been a staunch supporter of a greener
London, often seen cycling to work on the
London Cycle Network (LCN), comprising over
a thousand miles of cycle routes.

He has repeatedly stated that he wants London
to be the ‘best big city in the world and to be
recognised as a world leader in improving the
environment locally and globally, by tackling
climate change, reducing pollution, developing a
low carbon economy, consuming fewer resources
and using resources more effectively.
Public transport initiatives, such as the London
Cycle Network plays a mayor part in these green
goals. Per capita, Londoners already have a far
smaller carbon footprint than the UK average
because of the high usage of public transport and
the density of development.
By this September, two London bus routes
– the 24 and the 11 – will be serviced entirely by
Mayor Boris Johnson’s new iconic, eco-friendly
Route master-inspired buses. The New Bus for
London is the greenest diesel electric hybrid bus
in the world, and will reduce CO2 emissions in the
capital by around 20 600 tons a year when all of the
600-strong fleet is in use in 2016.
The buses are just one part of the Mayor’s plans to
make London a greener and cleaner place to live,
the successful “Boris Bikes” scheme being another
such initiative. Now, 14% of commuters into central
London cycle to work, compared to just one per
cent in the 1970s, and car ownership is lower in the
capital than anywhere else in the country.

Green house
Another key element in making London a world
leader in tackling climate change is the issue
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September 2013 SA Real Estate Investor

www.reimag.co.za