UK Climate Pledge ‘To Cost Hundreds of Billions of Pounds’: Watchdog

A family walk past as activists take part in a demonstration outside Buckingham Palace, as part of protests by the Extinction Rebellion climate change group on the fifth day of their new series of 'mass rebellions', in central London, on Sept. 5, 2020. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

The British government’s commitment to achieving “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is a “colossal challenge” that could cost hundreds of billions of pounds, a public spending watchdog has warned.

The government will need to spearhead “a concerted national effort” that will require changes to how buildings are heated, how people travel, and how much meat they eat, the UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report (pdf) published on Friday.