Policies introduced by the Office of the Mayor in Relation to the Environment

The Mayor of London has wide powers ranging from defining the programs which the employees of the GLA are going to be working on, to making policies which relate to the environment of the city of London. In addition, the Mayor has the power over those programs which have been included in the budget, and in this capacity, he can be considered the most influential person when it comes to the day to day activities of the GLA. The vision of the Mayor is extremely valuable, and it has been suggested by some that if all of his visions for the city are put in place, then London will, within a few years, become the largest city in the world. With these visions in mind, policies have been suggested, and some of them have already been put in place in order to achieve them. These policies focus mainly on the increase of biodiversity, how to deal with the changing climate, the improvement of the quality of air, and the improvement of the mechanisms used to dispose waste within the city. The policies aimed at combating climate change as well as those dealing with energy all aim at the reduction of the contribution the city is making to the problem of global warming.

For the success of these policies, there would be a requirement for the use of those technologies that had low carbon emission levels. These technologies would include the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy, which have no emissions at all. The Mayor set out to address the issue of fuel shortages within the city, which were becoming more problematic. Some proposals were brought forward which suggested ways that would ensure that London would significantly reduce its contribution to global warming. These proposals included the total elimination of carbon emissions not only in all public places, but also in residential buildings. The addressing of the proposals made was to be done in an ascending order, with the most prominent ones being given priority over the others. The implementation of these proposals was to be done in the following order: the reduction of the amount of energy being used, increasing the efficiency in the supply of energy so that none of it is wasted, and lastly, the encouragement of the use of green energy (Keirstead, 2010, 6).

In relation to the use of green energy, the Mayor proposed policies which would make use of green transport in London the norm. The diverse transport network in London could be thoroughly transformed so that there would be zero emission rates because of the use of green energy. Once implemented, the policies would ensure that those modes of transport that emitted little or no carbon to the atmosphere would be the preferred modes. The modes of transport proposed in these policies included the use of hybrid and electric vehicles, and hydrogen buses. Moreover, it was proposed that instead of using private means of transport, people in the city should be encouraged to use public transport, as well as cycling and walking. This would ensure that the large numbers of vehicles, which emit carbon, were removed from use, hence a cleaner environment and less contribution to global warming.

Among the initiatives which the Mayor of London wanted put in place, was the proper management of the waste found in the city. This initiative would not only improve the quality of life of the people in the city, but it would also set London on the right path towards becoming a green city, with no pollution of the environment. Programs were embarked on to ensure that there was a reduction of pollution levels and these were to be done through the recycling of waste materials, the reduction of the levels of rubbish, and most of all, the efficient use of energy. Once these policies were implemented to the fullest, then London would not only have low levels of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, they would also help in the efficient use of the resources available, contributing in saving money which could be used in other significant projects.

One of the policies that were to be considered by the Mayor was the restoration of the inner part of the city (East London). This was to ensure that a living and working environment was provided for those people who were involved in that area. It would help the people of London a vast deal because it would ensure that they lived in a clean environment which could be sustained in that state. The boroughs, in this part of London, were provided funding and resources which were to be used in their transformation into clean environments. The Mayor also focused on the improvement of the available public spaces, as well as the creation of new ones, and an initiative was put in place to make sure that this was made possible. Policies were to be put in place to ensure that an economy, based on low carbon initiatives, was created so that jobs could be created for the people of London. This would be of immense benefit for Londoners, who would be able to gain, through living in a clean environment as well as doing business which was environmentally friendly. Areas were to be set aside where people, who were making investments in businesses involving low carbon emissions, would be given preference over all the others.