London Mayor Sadiq Khan used London Climate Action Week to argue that city governments are moving faster than national governments on climate goals. He described national governments as delayers and mayors as doers, pointing to city-level policies on retrofits, transport electrification, and green infrastructure as areas where cities can act without waiting for national legislation. The article highlights how cities like London are setting their own emissions targets and investing in programs that national governments have stalled on. This includes expanding low-emission zones, scaling up building retrofits, and pushing for more renewable energy procurement. The message is that urban climate action can fill gaps left by slower national policy processes. For anyone tracking climate policy delivery, this reinforces the importance of city-level action in the UK and globally. It also raises questions about how city programs are funded and whether they can scale without national support on grid upgrades and carbon pricing.
