Breathe: Seven Ways to Win a Greener World

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He doesn’t just want to win a third term as mayor, Khan tells me; he’s hoping for six in total. I assume he’s joking, then realise he’s not. It becomes apparent that this is how long he thinks it will take to revive the city. What would he hope to have achieved by the end of a third term? “By then we’ll have had a Labour government for at least three years, so we’re going to see even more progress on fixing the housing crisis, the air quality, and you’ll have started to see the fruits of the reformed police service and fire service, and more jobs created in London.” And at the end of the sixth term? “You’ll see a London that can have our children feeling they have a future rather than being worried about what the future holds.” As he says, he’s always been an optimist. Councillor Manuel Abellan, Chair of the Environment & Sustainable Transport Committee at Sutton Council, said: “Access to more accurate real time data will provide insights of overall air quality and congestion levels in the borough, and help build clear a picture of the environment and health of our schools and communities. Expand C40’s Global Green New Deal programme, funded by the Open Society Foundations, which will direct additional funding to increase the number of cities working in partnership with trade unions, young people and community organisations to ensure climate action benefits everyone. Scandalised, Khan underwent a political transformation that would see him become one of the most prominent global politicians fighting (and winning) elections on green issues. I like to read for fun and escapism, so it's fiction. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is fantastic - all three of his books are great. Have you ever met Richard Osman? He’s three times my height and the loveliest man you'll ever meet, but also he's a genius. Richard is clearly somebody who has been given too much talent - I hate him. His books are so enjoyable. I better mention Elif Shafak as well otherwise she’ll kill me. She’s a great author - I love Elif as well.

The cost of living crisis has obviously made it more difficult for people to be greener because they just can’t afford it… To help reduce pollution and improve the air that we breathe in Tower Hamlets, we’ve introduced the Breathe Clean campaign to reduce the impact of idling engines, installed seven air quality sensors across the borough, increased the amount of cycling hangers and planted over 740 of our goal of 1,000 trees across the borough.” The legacy project – named First Breath for Our Future Ancestor - will be installed in Mountsfield Park, Lewisham and include an air quality sensor to help local residents monitor the air they breathe.

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For many years, Khan wasn’t fully aware of the dangers posed by air pollution, nor its connection with climate change. When the experts explained to me that this was quite common now, my mind boggled. I started to find out a bit more about what is actually going on, and I discovered that over a period of time air has been getting worse. Things that cause climate change cause air pollution - but it is reversible. Editorial director Rowan Borchers said Breathe would be “both an intriguing inside account of life in City Hall, and a warm and practical guide to green politics”. A study commissioned by City Hall found that in 2019 between 3,600 to 4,100 deaths in Greater London were estimated to have been attributable to air pollution. The highest number of deaths was in outer London boroughs, mainly due to the higher proportion of elderly people in these areas, the study found.

Toxic air pollution is a matter of life and death – with around 4,000 Londoners dying prematurely each year, children growing up with stunted lungs and a higher risk of dementia in older people. More than 500,000 Londoners live with asthma and are more vulnerable to the impacts of toxic air, with more than half of these people living in outer London boroughs. A drop-off point at the Royal Festival Hall (30 metres) has been created for visitors who are unable to walk from alternative car parks. Our Access Scheme And … breathe. Interviewing Khan feels like watching Question Time with a solitary guest. The monologue is Khan at his migraine-inducing best – the verbal tics, the stats, the willingness to make political capital out of a powerful story. But it’s also important and impressive. The clean air (human rights) bill – also known as Ella’s Law – would enshrine the human right to healthy air in UK law. Khan has repeatedly called on the government to support the bill. Health officials estimate the death toll from human-made air pollution in the UK is between 29,000 and 43,000 every year. I stood saying I want to be the greenest mayor our city’s ever had, and got the biggest vote a sitting mayor’s ever received Ella was admitted to hospital 27 times in the following 28 months. Her mother, Rosamund, resuscitated her on more than 20 occasions and she was treated in five hospitals, by numerous specialists. Then on 14 February 2013, she stopped breathing, had a seizure in the ambulance and died in hospital in the early hours of 15 February. She was nine years old. You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2.Do you think parenthood has made you more engaged in your activism, raising two children in London with air pollution being what it is? ULEZ expansion vital to improving air quality in the capital as expanded zone will cover an area 18 times larger than the existing central London ULEZ Oliver Lord, UK Head of the Clean Cities Campaign said: "This is a welcome next step in our fight for clean air in London and especially for people living on the most polluted roads. Anyone doubting this decision should take a long walk along the north and south circular and reason with the families living there why they don't deserve cleaner air. The ULEZ so far has been transformational, reducing harmful pollution levels by almost a half in central London. But there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the health of young Londoners and leading to thousands of early deaths every year, with the greatest number of deaths in the outer London boroughs. Expanding the ULEZ London-wide will mean five million more people will be able to breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives. For me, Ella humanised why the environment matters. Her short life forced people to face up to the invisible killer we all breathe every day. Ella shows that the climate emergency is a health crisis, too, and that we cannot wait to take action to clean up our air.

Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, said: “Reducing air pollution, improving public health, and fighting climate change all go hand in hand. Sadiq’s leadership is helping to clean London’s air and set an example for cities around the world. The faster cities make progress, the more lives we can save, and the better our chances of avoiding the worst effects of climate change.”At the time of writing, Khan is finding out how ugly the discourse around climate can get, as he seeks to expand the area of London in which a charge is levied on the dirtiest vehicles. I can do something about it, and if you can, you've got to do something about it. You don't need to be the Mayor to do this stuff, you don't need to be Greta Thunberg. All of us can do something about this. The ULEZ expansion is not only vital to achieving compliance with legal limits for air pollution but is also a key step towards meeting the more stringent health-driven World Health Organization guidelines for toxic particulate pollution by 2030. Despite significant improvements in London’s air quality between 2016 and 2019, a study by researchers from Imperial College London found that London’s toxic air contributed to the deaths of around 4,000 Londoners in 2019. The greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution were in outer London boroughs, mainly due to the higher proportion of elderly people in these areas, who are more vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution. Features Editor Jenny Proudfoot sat down with Sadiq Khan ahead of Breathe's release to discuss the climate emergency, sustainable advice and the challenges of writing a book while serving as a politician. Do scroll our guides to greenwashing, intersectional environmentalism, and sustainable living, while you're here. Sadiq Khan on global warming, air pollution, and building a better tomorrow

As he gets up to leave, most of the restaurant empties. Meanwhile, formalities over, Khan has recovered his chirpiness. On the way out he stops for a chat with Ahmed, the restaurant manager. “We’re having an Eid celebration in Trafalgar Square on Saturday. You should come down. There’ll be thousands of us. We take a picture with everyone there.” He grins. “Then we send it to Trump.” And with that he’s off. ‘One short life forced people to face up to an invisible killer’ Since Khan – who in 2021 was elected chair of C40, a global network of almost 100 megacities with a shared ambition to fight climate change – became mayor, he has presided over some of the hottest temperatures ever seen in London, including this summer, when the city’s fire services saw their busiest day since the second world war. However, he has also come in for criticism for allowing the Silvertown Tunnel, a new four-lane road tunnel under the River Thames, to go ahead. The tunnel, on which construction has started, has faced widespread opposition from local people, politicians, climate scientists and medical experts who say it would increase traffic and worsen public health. Khan’s administration has repeatedly defended the scheme, claiming it is essential to improve river crossings in east London. Apart from the time we were discussing music at the start, Khan has hardly smiled in almost two hours. He’s been too busy laying out achievements, obstacles and challenges ahead. I feel as if I’ve gone 12 rounds with the Human Encyclopedia of City Hall. But for all the talk of six terms, I think he’s worried about the next election. And for all the braggadocio there is a vulnerability – partly a fear of letting London down by losing, partly a fear of personal failure. Khan is that rare thing: a politician with a mission and vision for the community he serves. Mayor Khan introduced the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, which has helped cut toxic roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution by nearly half in central London at the same time as helping to reduce carbon emissions. The Mayor has also: planted 350,000 trees since 2016; introduced over 500 electric buses; committed to making London a net zero carbon city by 2030, faster than any comparable city; and developed a climate action plan that is compatible with the highest ambition of the Paris Agreement. Since becoming Mayor of London in 2016, he has declared a climate emergency, introduced the world’s first Ultra-LowFor too many grieving families in London, the urgency of our air quality crisis is painfully clear. That is why it I am proud to support the First Breath for Our Future Ancestor project which will help preserve Ella’s legacy. The memorial will not only serve as a powerful tribute to the life of a much-missed young Londoner but will also help educate others about the dangers of toxic air.” Sir Ian Cheshire, Chair, We Mean Business Coalition; Chair, Channel 4; Chair, Spire Healthcare Group; Chair, Menhaden Capital, and non-executive director at BT, said: “I applaud the Mayor of London’s decision to expand his flagship air quality policy, the Ultra Low Emission Zone, which will mean five million more people breathing cleaner air. This is the kind of large-scale, decisive action we need to halve emissions this decade, and I have no doubt businesses in London and around the world will recognise the huge benefits that this policy will bring to communities and families across the capital." World-leading measures, including the central London ULEZ, introduced by the Mayor in his first term had already cut the number of state schools located in areas with illegal levels of pollution by 97 per cent – from 455 schools in 2016 to just 14 in 2019. An estimated 3.8 million Londoners live in the expanded ULEZ zone and are set to directly benefit from the scheme when it comes into operation in October. Patients and staff at the Royal London - which is home to one of the largest children’s hospitals in the UK and has one of London’s busiest paediatric A&E departments - are also set to benefit as it is situated within the expansion zone.