"London can't just adapt to climate change" - London Climate Action Week 2022

The world’s major cities need to take action today if they are to avert environmental disaster, says Chris Bennett of Evora Global

London’s major landmarks and buildings face significant damage from weather related events caused by climate change, a real estate property expert has suggested.

Chris Bennett, managing director of sustainability services company Evora Global, said this London Climate Action Week that the real estate and property sector is still not acting with the urgency required to prevent the worst effects of environmental change.

“London possesses some of the most exciting and valuable property in the world,” said Bennett. But this city’s beautiful architecture could be massively harmed by soaring temperatures and extreme weather events. Typically, older properties are harder to alter and change and so they are very vulnerable to big environmental changes.

“There are some who argue we can simply adapt to climate change. However, I believe this is wishful thinking. Buildings are not always adaptable, particularly older and historic ones.

“These properties are fixed in place, you cannot just move London Bridge away from the Thames or simply lift it up a few feet. Some of these centuries old buildings are very much at risk from extreme temperature fluctuations and flooding and could be damaged by a range of weather related events.

“Property owners must understand the risks they are facing and realise it’s in their best interests to take action that reduces their impact on the planet.

“This may be hard to do as the property market keeps on rising. Demand for property in London is very high but this doesn’t mean it isn’t facing any risk, or that climate change doesn’t matter. The theme of London Climate Action Week is ’harnessing the power of London for global climate action.

“So I hope we can inspire people to take action against climate change and preserve London and cities across the world for generations to come.”