London mayor appoints eco-advisor

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has appointed a Transport for London chief as his environmental advisor.

Isabel Dedring, currently Director of Policy at Transport for London, has spent four years overseeing carbon reduction strategies on London’s transport networks.

A dual nationality American-German, she is fluent in English, French, German and Russian.

Her policies have included sustainable travel planning, and retrofitting public transport vehicles with devices to reduce carbon emissions.

All 8,000 London buses will be fitted with hybrid motors by 2012.

In addition, Ms Dedring wrote the Climate Change Action Plan under former London mayor Ken Livingstone.

Her new role will be helping Johnson turn his plans for a 60% reduction in London’s carbon emissions into practical policies.

Policies already in place that she will oversee include setting up 10 high-tech low-carbon zones within the next four years, and planting 10,000 extra trees across the capital.

The mayor said he is ‘hugely excited’ to appoint someone to take up such a ‘vital role’.

He added that Ms Dedring has a ‘top-notch track record of achieving real results’

The Green Party said they were frustrated at Johnson wasting four months before appointing an environmental advisor, but are relieved now an appointment has been made.