'For Ella' : Interview with Sadiq Khan, Author of Breathe – Tackling The Climate Emergency

On the sun-gilded day I finished reading Sadiq’s Khan’s debut, rampant wildfires in Quebec, Canada had led to New York City becoming engulfed in a brumous blanket of surreal orange smog. Skyscrapers, bridges, and people were shrouded as one, enveloped by toxic particulates freighted by smoke befouling all it touched. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the cataclysmal situation as, "difficult and heart-breaking.”

Polluted air swarmed across swathes of North America, blown south along the continent's east coast. NYC’s Mayor, Eric Adams, saw his beloved city suffer the worst air pollution of any on earth on June 6th as the Canadian infernos belched their baleful cargo into NYC’s lungs and said, “We recommend all New Yorkers limit their outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible. Those with pre-existing respiratory problems, like heart or breathing problems, as well as children and older adults may be especially sensitive and should stay indoors at this time.”

As the miasmic mist descended on the US Capitol building in Washington DC, US President Joe Biden described the fires as a, "stark reminder of the impacts of climate change".

Khan’s timely book, Breathe – Tackling the Climate Emergency could not have arrived on our shelves at a more relevant moment.

The book describes London’s existential battle with air pollution, but its messages are not confined to the granularity of one city’s ‘Green’ agenda - it is a book championing a global message, and as such, a profoundly valuable weapon in the war against climate change.

London’s insidious air pollution problems and Khan’s ongoing mayoral efforts to ameliorate them during his two terms in office, may well be the ostensible keynote of his first book’s clarion call, however its pages look beyond London’s skyline, following his own gaze. In his impassioned, yet fact-laden speech on the plenary stage of COP26, Khan had drawn attention to an axiomatic truth: all cities across the World need to breath; air pollution risks destroying humanity through that basic imperative.

Entering politics after a career as a Human Rights lawyer, Sadiq Khan became Labour MP for Tooting, South London in 2005. Labour’s then leader Ed Miliband, appointed him to the role of Shadow Minister for London and Justice Secretary. London and Justice sit at the centre of Khan’s political psyche, driving him to stand as a candidate for London Mayor in 2016, securing victory despite the perils of doing so on a distinctly Green manifesto.

In 2021, he went on to secure a second term in office, gaining the largest vote of any sitting Mayor in 2021. Khan is also the current Chair of C40, a global network of forty mayors who together safeguard nearly 800m citizens.

In 2018, Khan declared a climate emergency in his city and under his mayoral leadership, London has become the first ever ‘National Park City’ benefitting from an often contentious, but empirically sound plethora of Green policies. His Ultra Low Emission Zone scheme stands at the epicentre of City Hall’s myriad initiatives and has recently been expanded, despite vociferous objections from those who consider climate change to be a ‘tomorrow’ rather than a ‘today’ issue.

Having read his viscerally potent, yet lucidly argued book, suffused with an oxymoronic fusion of empiricism and self-effacing charm, I wanted to discuss its seminal messages with the author himself and fully comprehend both his book, and the man behind it. I asked Sadiq to tell me about his book’s purpose and core message :

“Books are really good vehicles to tell a story. It’s very difficult either in 280 characters on twitter, or in a speech or article to do that properly - the joy of a book is that you can tell a story and really develop the arguments.

“With Breathe, put simply, I wanted to tell my own story. It’s a story about how I first became aware of the impact of climate change and air pollution after running the London marathon and developing asthma. It’s about working with Londoners and cities across the globe to tackle an issue that matters to each and every one of us: the environment in which we live and the air that we breathe. And it’s about how we face enormous challenges – but by winning arguments, by winning elections, being in power, having the right policies, and having people on our side, together - we can achieve great things.

“The book's core message is one of hope for the future, because there are two key things I have learnt. First - the climate crisis is not some ‘tomorrow’, far away issue that we can afford to be apathetic about. It’s right here on our doorstep and its impact is being felt today. My own asthma aside, we all saw last summer how we hit record temperatures of over 40C and wildfires raged, destroying homes and livelihoods in minutes. In London, the Fire Brigade had their busiest days since the blitz in WW2. This is not just a London issue - wherever you live, the issues in the book are either affecting you now, or will be coming to you very soon.

"The World Health Organization (WHO) has called air pollution a public health emergency, with 99 per cent of the global population breathing toxic air – from the streets of Hounslow to towns like Harrogate and Halifax. Where the air is polluted, it can damage every organ and cell in our bodies. Across our country it is contributing to illnesses ranging from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, from cancer to asthma. The nine million early deaths air pollution causes each year across the globe makes air pollution a bigger killer than tobacco smoking. These deaths are disproportionately concentrated among the most disadvantaged people in society.

“Yet the climate crisis isn’t intractable either, and the pessimism so many people feel about it is misplaced. For those who say, or think, ‘there’s nothing we can do’ – you’re wrong, there is. Just look at what we have done in London since 2016 – thanks to City Hall policies, toxic air in central London has been reduced by almost half. The action we’ve taken means London is expected to meet legal pollution limits within 2 years – by 2025 - as opposed to the 193 years wait expected when I was elected in 2016.”

One of the most potent weapons employed by Sadiq Khan against the Climate Emergency is collaboration. His book details many striking examples of collective power in action:

“As well as being Mayor, I also chair C40 cities, a network of almost 100 global cities, representing 800 million citizens and one quarter of the global economy. From New York to Paris, from Dhaka to Freetown. Over half the world’s population live in cities, and this is only set to grow.

“Compared to the slow response of many national governments, it’s our cities that have proven to be more nimble, progressive and responsive to the needs of our citizens, rising to the challenge of tackling climate change and acting now rather then kicking the can down the road.

“Just look at what other cities are doing across the world: Bogota’s electric bus fleet is now the largest outside China. Freetown have set out a plan to plant a million trees under a scheme dubbed ‘Freetown the Treetown’ – reducing flooding and landslides and increasing biodiversity. Accra’s waste management programme has led to a 50 percent reduction in air and water pollution due to illegal waste disposal in just two years.

“For years, climate change deniers have attempted to thwart climate action. But today the biggest obstacle to tackling the climate emergency isn’t the climate change deniers, it’s the delayers. It’s the governments and businesses that say they will act, but then refuse to put in place the plans, action or funding we desperately need.

“Cities are leading the way through this gridlock - we are not deniers or delayers. We are doers with three quarters of C40 cities decreasing their emissions at a faster rate than their own countries. If the 19th century was known as the century of empires, the 20th as a century of nation-states, the 21st is about cities and mayors. I know Tracy Brabin would agree with that!”

Breathe is a deeply personal book, its pages constitute Khan’s literary lungs, themselves scarred by the air pollution threatening both him and the population he safeguards. His book candidly recalls the precise event dramatically catalysing his own Green agenda and I asked him to share his thoughts on this watershed moment:

“It has to be the London marathon, which I ran in 2014 for charity after being asked by the Evening Standard, London’s main paper. I was keen on becoming the Labour candidate for the upcoming London mayoral election so any opportunity to not only go the extra mile (sorry) for charity but to build my relationship with the London Evening Standard was invaluable.

“I had a full medical before I began training which I passed with flying colours, and before I knew it, it was the day of the race. Crossing the finishing line was an incredible experience, but the marathon wasn’t just the beginning of my journey as a runner, it was also, unexpectedly, the beginning of my journey as a climate activist. As I got more and more into jogging, I encountered a new problem. After a long run, I would find myself wheezing and struggling to breathe. When the wheezing turned into coughing, I gave in and went to see my GP.

“After a few quick tests, I received the diagnosis of ‘adult-onset asthma’. I was incredulous. I was 43 years old. I’d never had any breathing or respiratory issues. My GP explained that it wasn’t uncommon now for people to develop the condition in adulthood, largely due to environmental factors like poor air quality. I had almost certainly developed it from the air I was breathing while training on London’s roads.

“In some ways running the London marathon was a success – I had both raised lots of money for charity and discovered a passion for running. I'd also beaten my good friend Ed Balls! But unfortunately, the Evening Standard never endorsed me – and I got asthma.

“I was asked recently whether I’d feel as passionately about tackling the climate emergency as I do now – or even whether this book would exist had I not run the marathon and got asthma? Truthfully, the answer is probably not.”

I found Breathe to be a hugely successful exercise in simplicity; its argument begins with an appeal to the reader’s emotions and having won the heart, neatly segues into a series of digestible chapters, each advancing the author’s case with both pace, and engaging verve. I asked Khan to describe his book’s efficient structure…

“First, the book explores why people sometimes switch off from climate issues: whether due to fatalism (‘There’s nothing anyone can do’), apathy (‘This doesn’t matter to me’) or cynicism (‘Politicians are all the same’). The solution is to make climate change – and climate policy – feel relatable to citizens’ everyday lives. Tackling pessimism by emphasising the levers we can pull to improve the environment. Tackling apathy by showing people how climate change already affects them, their health and the health of their loved ones. And tackling cynicism by adopting a pragmatic approach to coalition-building and working together with allies from across the political spectrum.

“Next, the book moves on to the practicalities of governing with a green agenda. It explores the ways climate change tends to get derailed by the managed chaos of life in office: deprioritisation (‘Climate isn’t urgent, so let’s deal with it later’), hostility (‘How dare you take away my diesel!’) and cost (‘I can’t afford to go green’). The solution is to place green policies at the heart of your political project, rather than tacking it onto the side.

“Fending off deprioritisation by reframing moments of crisis as a chance to enact more climate policies, not less. Combating hostility by ignoring the vocal minority and getting out there and working out what people really want (or ‘finding the pulse’, as I call it). And minimising the cost by adopting a Green New Deal approach, which treats climate change as a unique opportunity to build a fairer society with good jobs for all.

“Finally, the book details perhaps the biggest problem of all: gridlock. An effective response to climate change requires global cooperation. But getting rich and poor nations, and left and right-wing governments, to work together on climate often feels near impossible. This remains an intractable issue. Despite its good intentions, the COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact will probably not meet the scale of the challenge, and national governments may yet prove unable to translate its ideas into practice.

“My tentative solution is to trust in joined-up global initiatives – initiatives just like C40. The group has consistently shown that cooperation on climate is possible. Over the last decade, I have spent time with presidents and billionaire business people, UN diplomats and NGO leaders. But the people I find myself most consistently impressed by come from the world of city government. On climate, mayors are leading the way.”

Khan’s ULEZ initiative and Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah feature large in Breathe’s pages, both seminal to its meaning and indelibly woven into the story it tells…

“I’m determined for London to be a world leader in tackling the dangers of air pollution, biodiversity loss and the climate emergency. In London, I’m committed to making our city zero-carbon by 2030. Becoming the world’s first National Park City was a huge honour. We’ve planted almost half a million trees since I was elected, and brought back beavers, bats and bees across our city through our innovative rewilding work. In 2019, we launched the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London, which has helped to cut toxic air pollution by nearly half – and we are expanding it to the whole of London this August, meaning five million more Londoners will breathe cleaner air.

“The majority of vehicles in London are already ULEZ compliant and will not have to pay. But I completely understand the concerns of people who may not have a compliant vehicle and are worried about how they’ll make the transition. That’s why we’ve introduced a multimillion record scrappage scheme to help those on lower incomes.

“Expanding the ULEZ was an incredibly difficult decision. Being elected twice as Mayor of my home city has been the greatest honour of my life – and I never take anything for granted. But the reason I’ve decided to expand ULEZ now is simple. The evidence tells me that this is the right thing to do. Knowing what I do now – and having met bereaved families like Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, mum of nine-year-old Ella, whose death was linked to air pollution - I can’t kick the can down the road for the sake of my own political fortunes.

“I know we’re on the right side of history, and in time we’ll be vindicated – just as those who took tough action against the Great Smog and smoking bans were, yet ULEZ expansion has become one of the key frontiers in the fight for climate action – and winning the hearts and minds of those who read this book is crucial.

“Obama once said that ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time.’ This is the approach I take, and I’m asking those who read my book to join me in doing the same.”

Khan has recently delivered a talk at the Hay Literary Festival Literary festival. I asked him how he’d found this form of public speaking, given that we have not previously identified him with the literary community:

“I absolutely loved making my debut at Hay Festival last month – my first-ever book festival – and I’m really looking forward to speaking at Bradford’s iconic Alhambra Theatre as part of the Bradford Literary Festival.

“One of the best things about writing my book has been getting to know the book and publishing industry, which is full of phenomenal talent, with the UK punching well above its weight internationally. And the creative industries don’t just make a huge contribution economically, but socially too.

“Culture is the DNA of our city and country – the glue that binds us together. It’s a huge reason why almost seven years after the vote to leave the EU, people still want to come and live and work in the UK.

“Good culture can help reflect a city and a society, but great culture can shape it too. Whether it’s books, art, music, film or theatre, culture has always possessed a remarkable power to transform the lives of young people and give them a sense of purpose and direction. When I was growing up, although money was often tight, my Dad loved taking us to libraries, museums and galleries on Saturday afternoons.

“These spaces, and the creativity they showcased, broadened our horizons and offered us a glimpse into the lives of others, far beyond the boundaries of our city. That’s why festivals like Bradford are so important, as is expansive, year-round, outreach and free Education Programme the festival runs with local schools.”

Finally, I asked our enthusiastic literary debutant if he intended to write any further books having found the process of producing his first one to be understandably consumptive…after all, he does have a day job!

“My family are only just about talking to me after spending so much time on it – so there are no plans for another book at the moment.

“But I’ve really enjoyed writing it and it’s opened a whole new world. The opportunity to engage with new audiences and an industry that is so important to our cultural vibrancy and the UK’s creative economy has been brilliant.”