A new Clean Air Fund report, commissioned from CBI Economics and WSP, quantifies the air quality, health and economic co-benefits of UK decarbonisation pathways.

The UK's transition to net-zero is widely recognised for tackling climate change, but it also presents a significant opportunity to improve public health through cleaner air as the report notes, this could have a significant outcome in its own right, delivering measurable benefits for health, productivity and the wider economy.

The analysis estimates that, under decarbonisation pathways aligned with the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) Balanced Pathway, nearly 264,000 premature deaths might be avoided by 2050, with almost 2.8 million life-years gained and around 497,000 respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions prevented.

Economic returns begin early and build progressively: productivity gains from a healthier workforce reach £153m by 2030, £2.4bn by 2040 and £7.7bn by 2050. Cleaner air generates an estimated £625m in additional GVA in 2050 alone. The benefits are not confined to the long term, with gains emerging within today's policy horizon and continuing to grow over time.

While the report focuses on the air quality co-benefits of net-zero, the approach has wider relevance. The authors believe that organisations increasingly need to understand and demonstrate the broader impacts of policy, investment and behavioural change, beyond their immediate objectives.

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