Mayor urges action on climate change

Ken Livingstone has announced details of plans for a cleaner fleet of buses that will cut the capital's carbon dioxide emissions.

As the issue of climate change continues to dominate the political agenda, the London mayor also unveiled the world's first hybrid double-decker bus.

Livingstone said the hybrid buses, which use a combination of diesel and electric power, were "an important step towards my vision that London becomes one of the world's most sustainable cities".

The mayor also said he was backing Friends of the Earth's call for a Climate Change Bill requiring annual cuts in UK carbon dioxide emissions.

"Climate change is the single biggest threat to the development of human civilisation and as mayor it is my top priority for London," he said.

"This is a problem we cannot ignore. As the Stern review has shown this week, the future of our economy as well as our environment rests on taking action now rather than waiting for problems to unfold."