London Climate Change Partnership calls for more trees and green roofs as mitigation measures

Four reports are being discussed during a week of events organised by the Government Office for London and the London Climate Change Partnership to help London local government, services providers and businesses to find out how the capital’s climate is going to change, so that we can prepare for extreme weather in the future.

http://www.london.gov.uk/lccp/press/press-29092009.jsp

The ‘Adapting to Climate Change: the role of public procurement’ report concludes that millions of pounds of tax-payers money is being spent on buildings and projects that do not include adaptation measures (such as rainwater harvesting, green roofs and trees to provide summer shading) and consequently they will soon not be fit for purpose. The report shows that current procurement processes can be changed to ensure these are included.

Driving ourselves in the wrong direction: the lack of street trees and the continuing paving over of gardens for car parking will exacerbate the negative effects of climate change. Should this be allowed without a commensurate creation of uncovered ground elsewhere, or the installion of an equivalent surface area of green roofing?