Opinions concerning the Implementation of Environmental Policies in London

Varying opinions have been given concerning the Mayor of London’s main concerns about the city, with some arguing that he has his priorities right in trying to protect the environment of the city. Others, however, believe that his priorities are not in the right direction and that his attention should be more focused on issues that are of more importance than the environment. Some have said that because of the global economic recession, the Mayor should give more attention to the creation of more jobs for those people who are unemployed. They argue that more jobs are needed if the, current improved, standards of living are to be maintained. There are, however, those who fully support the Mayor’s initiatives concerning the environment, stating that saving the environment should be given a priority so that future generations can have a safe place to live. They argue that the environment is the most valuable thing in the world today, more important, in fact than fighting unemployment, because with global warming, perhaps life, as we know it, will come to end.

Most people agree that there has been a colossal air pollution problem in the city and that it is high time it was tackled to ensure a clean environment. Because of this, they support the Mayor’s policies concerning the environment, especially those dealing with air pollution, with the hope that once implemented, these policies will be able to help deal with health problems, which are related to unclean air (Rydin, et al, 2012, 2082). Those who support the Mayor’s green initiative state that he has taken the right step to combat the production of carbon emissions to the environment. They believe that the reduction of such emissions in the city will not only have a significant impact on the reduction of the global emissions, but it will also give other cities in the world a model to use for their environmental policies. They, further, have hope that the Mayor’s policies will come to be successful because, of the fact that, each of them has a specific timeline within which to be implemented. This will ensure that adequate funding for such initiatives is provided for in the budget of the GLA, making them a success. Mechanisms have been put in place to measure the impact of these policies on the environment of London, and this is to make sure that they are turned into reality.

Other people have mixed reactions towards the Mayor’s focus environmental policies, believing that while cleaning up the environment is a praiseworthy thing to do, he should ensure that these policies are balanced with others which are based on development. They feel that some of the environmental policies being initiated by the Mayor are not based on the reality of the situation. Some have said that the initiatives are way too ambitious, and it will be impossible to achieve them within the time allocated. These people may be right because the ambition of making London an emission free city by 2025 is indeed an uphill task which will require extraordinary efforts to achieve. Some would say that thirteen years is too short a time, within which to achieve such a colossal task, especially when one considers the fact that at present, London is still heavily dependent on the use of fossil fuels. It has   that more needs to be done by the GLA to make the people of London more receptive of greener fuels.