At their best, London's open spaces are quite simply breathtaking. What could be more uplifting than a walk through Hampstead Heath on an autumn afternoon, or a picnic in St James's Park in full summer bloom? Our environment has an enormous impact on our sense of wellbeing, and it is vital that we cherish our city and strive to make it cleaner and greener.

In recent years London has lost record numbers of street trees. Our city has the worst record on recycling in the entire country. And, despite being one of the first major cities in the world to introduce clean air regulations, thousands of Londoners die every year from illnesses relating to poor air quality. This is not good enough.

City Hall should lead the improvements to London's environment and strongly support efforts to tackle climate change. Environmental issues will rank high on my mayoral agenda:

• I will support the Low Emission Zone to improve air quality.
  
  
• I will take a zero tolerance approach to littering and graffiting.
  
  
• Some areas are better than others when it comes to cleaning their streets. I will work with underperforming areas to help them deliver cleaner streets for their residents.
  
  
• I will protect and preserve our beautiful open spaces by working with local councils to ensure they are safe and pristine. I will plant more street trees.
  
  
• I will work with local councils to improve our record on recycling so that it becomes a natural part of all Londoners' lives.
  
  
• I will continue to work in association with other cities across the world to tackle climate change.
  
  
• I will practice what I preach with a series of environmentally friendly measures to be adopted across the GLA family including: a ban on bottled water, a ban on internal flights, recycling, green procurement and sustainability.