Environmental activists in Greenwich say they are increasingly concerned about the negative impacts of Silvertown Tunnel’s construction, despite the London mayor’s assurance that it will improve air quality. 

The Greenwich wing of Extinction Rebellion and the Stop the Silvertown Tunnel group say that the construction materials themselves would release nearly 82 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. They added that construction activity would also make for increased CO2 emissions, not to speak of the rise in emissions when the tunnel starts to be used.

The have organised regular protests for weeks and Stop the Silvertown Tunnel coalition has also started a petition to demand a halt to the construction. Together with Transport Action Network and Speak Out Woolwich, they have published a 30-page report. It says that there is scientific evidence the tunnel would increase car-usage and push Greenwich over legal air pollution limits.

But Transport for London says that Silvertown Tunnel is meant to reduce the environmental impact of traffic congestion and will help reduce congestion in and around the Blackwall Tunnel.

A spokesperson for London mayor Sadiq Khan told New Civil Engineer, a news website: “The mayor is taking some of the boldest action of any city in the world to tackle air pollution in London.”

Resistance to the project has been gathering steam on social media with references being made to the passing in 2013 of a nine-year-old Lewisham resident. It became the first case in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.

Ulysse Abbate, who is running for election to the Greenwich Council, tweeted: “#SilvertownTunnel being built = more people using cars = more traffic in an already congested borough.”

Another Twitter-user said: “Stopping the Silvertown tunnel and working tirelessly to protect air quality for children who live or go to school on the Greenwich peninsula / A102/ A2 is the biggest single thing (to do) to protect our environment.”