The London Climate Resilience Review has published its interim report on London’s resilience to climate change. The report is an assessment of London’s preparedness for climate change and climate change-related hazards and risks, informing future resilience activities based on the recommendations made by the report.
The Mayor of London called for the review following climate-related extreme events that took place in 2021 and 2022, which caused significant impacts on communities’ lives and livelihoods; the events resulted in a number of preventable deaths and widespread loss and damages to the city of London.
The report is informed by extensive stakeholder engagement following a call for evidence, resulting in submissions from 89 organisations and individuals, 12 expert roundtables, and over 100 meetings with London organisations. The review is set into two parts – the interim report sets out 20 strategic and urgent recommendations that call for strategic delivery, capacity building or investment actions intended for all stakeholders. The review committee invites feedback on the report and its recommendations; the closing date to do so is 16th February 2024. The second part of the review is the publication of the full report later in 2024, including the full findings and a complete set of recommendations.
The report has concluded that significant climate adaptation and resilience action occurs across London at all scales, with examples included throughout the report. However, a step change is urgently required in response to the rate of global heating and its impact on climate hazard frequency and severity. Emphasising that deprived and minority communities will be most affected as a result of existing inequalities, leading to worse outcomes and a need to ensure those most vulnerable benefit to reduce the risks to all.