Emissions cuts to cost £100 a home, says CBI

Britain is now almost certain to miss its 2020 targets for reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, but getting the country back on track for its 2050 commitments could cost just £100 per household, a CBI report will say today.

The report from the CBI's Climate Change Task Force, a group of 18 company chief executives and chairmen led by BT chief executive Ben Verwaayen, calls on British companies to change their business models to tackle environmental challenges but also warns that the "UK effort will only succeed if it becomes an urgent shared national priority".

The report's recommendations would enable the UK to hit its 2050 carbon targets. They include a significant increase in spending on research and development, and a targeting of energy efficiency and low-carbon technology. The CBI also calls for statutory limits on vehicle emissions and for an expansion of the European Union's carbon emissions trading scheme, with a doubling in the price of carbon to ¿40 (£28) a tonne.

The CBI also wants greater use of nuclear power, a call that will anger some environmental groups, and a governmental commitment to new nuclear power stations before the end of the year.

Mr Verwaayen said: "This is a call to action to the wider business community whose support we need, an offer of partnership with government and a commitment to empower consumers."

Richard Lambert, the CBI's director general added: "Critical decisions need to be taken now if we are to have a chance of hitting out emissions targets...."

The report is published a week before a summit of UN environment ministers in Bali.