Green Camden

This will bring other benefits such as improving health, well-being and social cohesion.

Climate change

Three quarters of us in Camden say we are concerned about climate change. Do you want to know more about it and how it will affect Camden? Visit our climate change pages for info on the science behind it and how you can prepare yourself to cope with it.

Waste

Taking action on waste is essential. We are consuming natural resources at an unsustainable rate. Each year in the UK we generate about 100 million tonnes of waste and most of this ends up in landfill. Then valuable energy is used up in making new products which are in turn disposed of, also contributing to climate change.

Camden is a leading authority in inner London for recycling, achieving 27.2% in 2007/8. However we’re still working hard to increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place. Visit our waste education and policy pages to find out more.

Reducing pollution and improving air quality

Camden has some of the poorest air quality levels in London and the whole borough has been declared an Air Quality Management Area. Poor air quality is linked to health problems such as lung and heart disease in sensitive people.

The major sources of poor air quality in Camden are cars, lorries, buses and industry. Visit our air quality pages to find out more about the issues in Camden and what the council is doing about it.

Saving water

Water is a precious resource that is often taken for granted - it’s not as abundant in the UK as people think! London is drier than Istanbul, and the South East of England has less water available per person than the Sudan or Syria. Water shortages don’t just affect us, they can seriously harm our environment. Fish, wetland birds and other wildlife struggle to survive when ponds, rivers and streams dry up or run low.

Water supply is also very energy intensive. The UK water industry is one of the largest consumers of industrial electricity, mainly because of the pumping.

The average person in England uses 150 litres of water every day. Large scale drought is already occurring in the UK, with the lowest rainfall, groundwater and reservoir levels for decades. As the effects of climate change intensify, this will only increase water stress. We need to get prepared by installing simple water saving devices and getting out of those water wasting habits.

Protecting wildlife

One of the key agreements signed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 was the convention on biological diversity which aimed to protect the global diversity of species and habitats.

We need to protect biodiversity to keep our planet healthy - it’s the life support system that provides for all our needs: plants and animals provide our food, clothes and medicines. Green spaces contribute immeasurably to the quality of life for people living, working and visiting Camden. You can find out more by reading about our "Biodiversity Action Plan"