Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has declared “the path to economic prosperity is green”, as he last night hailed the critical role the green business community is playing in driving climate action.
Speaking to more than 550 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors at the UK Green Business Awards, the Mayor heralded the importance of the UK’s green economy, as pledged to continue to fight to improve the environment during his third term as Mayor.
“In my view, the path to human progress is green,” he said. “The path to economic prosperity is green. The path to social justice is green. The path to racial justice is green. The path to health equity is green. And as we showed on [at the London Mayoral elections] on May 2, the path to electoral success is green.”
Khan accepted the Politician of the Year Award, as he thanked green business leaders for their support for ambitious environmental policies and called on them to continue to advocate for bold climate action in the run up to next month’s general election.
“Your allyship to me over the last eight years has been really appreciated,” he said. “Sometimes when you’re a leader it can be lonely and you’ve always had my back, always pushed me to go further and faster, and I’m appreciative of your support. It is really important over the next three weeks to use the influence we have to make the green case.”
Khan’s was recognised at the annual awards for his efforts to tackle air pollution, drive down emissions, and catalyse green investment across the capital, as well as his steadfast commitment to environmental action in the face of major political pushback to the expansion of London’s clean air zone, or Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
Presenting the award, BusinessGreen editor-in-chief James Murray said: “Sadiq Khan has arguably done more than any other frontline politician over the past 18 months to make the case for climate action, and deliver genuinely ambitious policies to catalyse green investment and drive down emissions. In winning an historic third term as Mayor of London, he showed how green policies can prove successful at the ballot box. And when he came under fire for delivering the world’s largest clean air zone, he demonstrated the value of political leadership in support of green policies that ultimately benefit everyone – something his peers from across the political spectrum would be wise to remember in the coming years.”
The Mayor also used the opportunity to reaffirm his manifesto promise to use his third term as London Mayor to clean up the capital’s waterways, adding that environmental policymaking would be easier should a Labour government come into power on July 4.
“For the last eight years, we’ve been swimming against the tide of a government that isn’t simply denying climate change, it often delays taking action,” he said. “Imagine the winds of a green agenda government in our sails over the next few years. The battle of the next few years, now that we’ve cleaned the air, is to clean our waters at the River Thames.”
Now in their 14th year, the UK Green Business Awards and their forerunner the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards celebrate the many UK companies working to create a sustainable net zero economy.
This year’s edition saw record numbers of entries, with facilities management and energy services company Mitie scooping up the coveted Company of the Year award for its ambitious net zero strategy and existing progress on decarbonisation.
Clean energy entrepreneur and climate advocate Juliet Davenport secured the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for her three decades of work tirelessly advancing climate solutions.
The founder of Good Energy – one of the first companies to pioneer the supply of clean energy – said she was deeply honoured to receive the award, as she reflected on the green economy’s evolution from a “barren landscape” in the 1990s to a vibrant and increasingly central part of the UK’s economy.
She said that despite the daunting environmental challenges the world faced, the entrepreneurship and innovation evidence amongst the companies working in the green economy gave her optimism that global climate goals can be met in the coming decades.
Now president of the Energy Institute and an advisor to a host of leading climate tech firms, Davenport said the number of impressive finalists in attendance at the UK Green Business Awards was evidence of the sector’s commercial success and burgeoning influence.
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