LONDON, United Kingdom — Boris Johnson has pledged £3 million (about U.S.$4.5 million) to develop ten flagship low carbon zones (LCZ) -- aimed at creating jobs and cutting carbon emissions.
Speaking at HRH Prince Charles' May Day Summit on Climate Change last week London's mayor formally invited applications for the LCZ by committing at least £200,000 funding for each one.
The zones will be funded by the London Development Agency's recently approved budget for climate change activities and private sponsorship.
Mr Johnson has pledged to cut emissions in London by 60 percent by 2025 and hopes the zones will play a part in this commitment.
He said: "I am fully signed-up to taking the necessary steps to combat climate change and ensure we protect our planet. By doing so, there is great potential to deliver 'green collar' jobs in the capital and I am determined to pursue this opportunity aggressively."
The Zones are expected to include a range of carbon-cutting measures in homes, neighbourhoods, businesses and public buildings such as:
• Home insulation
• Smart meters to help people regulate their energy use
• Retrofit packages for public and commercial buildings
• Decentralized energy plants to produce heat and electricity locally
• Renewable energy sources such as solar panels
• State of the art facilities to use waste as a clean fuel source
The Low Carbon Zones could be as small as a couple of streets, or encompass areas of 1,000 buildings.
London photo CC-licensed by Flickr user Mossaiq.
