Water leaks, sewage and data centres: MyLondon’s ‘Wasted’ campaign to probe city’s environmental threats

With new leadership in place at many London borough councils, our Wasted project will seek to remind local authorities of the importance of delivering on their environmental commitments

In 2019 and 2020 most of London’s 33 councils took up the battle cry in the fight against climate change in a bid to reduce the worst impacts, with 28 of them declaring a climate emergency over the two years.

Since then a lot of good work has been started, to rewild London, reduce carbon emissions and plant trees. But some have also started to row back on their commitments. From buying new diesel waste vehicles because they’re cheaper, to pausing net zero plans while finances are stretched, we’re in danger of undoing that progress.

MyLondon today launches our ‘Wasted’ project, to report the environmental disasters going unchecked, and remind those in power of the importance of tackling the long-term threats over short-term cost saving.

Whether it’s the thousands of sewage misconnections pumping raw sewage directly into the city’s rivers, or the obscene amount of our water being lost through leaks, there are major problems that need tackling right now.

But there are also looming environmental threats we can see coming a mile off. Like the immense pressure data centres are set to put on London’s water and energy supply, with up to 60 in the planning pipeline already; or the threat of flooding facing the capital and dozens of species at risk of extinction in the decades to come.

This project, led by Local Democracy Content Editor Dave Comeau, is MyLondon’s call to arms. Now is the time to press ahead with the best laid plans we’ve had in place for years – and reject the plans of some politicians to scrap environmental efforts.

‘Early ambition is faltering’

MyLondon Editor, Deanne Blaylock, said: “When London’s boroughs united to declare a climate emergency in 2019, it felt like a genuine turning point for our city. We saw real momentum with rewilding projects and tree-planting initiatives that promised to breathe new life into the capital. But that early ambition is faltering.

“We cannot allow temporary financial pressures to become an excuse for permanent environmental damage. Quietly reverting to cheaper diesel fleets or pausing net zero plans is a dangerous false economy that will cost Londoners far more in the decades to come.

“Through our Wasted campaign, MyLondon is drawing a line in the sand. It is simply unacceptable that in a world-class city, raw sewage is still being routinely pumped into our rivers, and precious resources are haemorrhaging through broken, leaky infrastructure. These aren’t just abstract climate concepts happening on the other side of the world; they are immediate blights on our local communities, ecosystems and health that demand urgent, uncompromising action from those in power.

“Furthermore, we cannot afford to sleepwalk into entirely preventable future crises. With dozens of hyper-intensive data centres in the planning pipeline, we are placing our already strained water and power supplies under immense, unchecked threat.

“It is essential we embrace progress; we must evolve alongside our changing world. But we are launching this campaign to hold decision-makers accountable. London’s future cannot be sacrificed for short-term cost savings. We must tackle these environmental disasters head-on today, or risk leaving a truly wasted city for the generations of tomorrow.”

While there’s much work to do to improve London’s biodiversity and climate resilience, there is so much already being done that should be shouted about. Wasted will also seek to highlight the good work that’s being done to put us back on the road to recovery.

If you know of brilliant local environmental initiatives that should be platformed, or under-reported environmental issues that need attention, email david.comeau@reachplc.com.

You can keep up to date with our reporting on the Wasted tag page.

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