Carbon targets can help UK 'save £85bn a year'

A switch away from fossil fuels will increase energy efficiency, resulting in cleaner air, lower bills and health costs, report says
Cyclists and pedestrians make their way across Waterloo Bridge
Cyclists and pedestrians make their way across Waterloo Bridge on September 6, 2010 in London. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Britain could save £85bn a year if it meets its carbon targets, according to a study commissioned by the government's climate advisers.





Some of the most significant benefits would come from reducing the amount of heat needed in homes and busineses. The financial benefits of millions of households draughtproofing, installing double glazing, and using less heat would be worth several billion pounds a year by 2030, the report suggests.


In addition to the monetary benefits, reducing fossil fuel use could increase public support for action on climate change, the report says. "The benefits [of decarbonising], such as air quality improvements, are often immediate and local, whereas climate benefits may occur on longer timesclales and mainly in a distant region, as well as being harder to demonstrate. Dissemination of the benefits could therefore strengthen public support for climate policy," it says.
