Shifting from cars to mass urban transit systems will be one of the most cost-effective ways to tackle climate change, according to a new report.

The study, released by the the University of California, Davis, and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, reveals the transition to this mode of transportation could result in public and private spending savings of $100 trillion (£61 trillion) between now and 2050.

In addition, the shift could lead to reductions in carbon emissions totalling 1,700 megatons per year in 2050 and 1.4 million fewer deaths associated with exposure to vehicle tailpipe emissions.

"The study shows that getting away from car-centric development, especially in rapidly developing economies, will cut urban CO2 dramatically and also reduce costs," said report co-author Lew Fulton, co-director of the NextSTEPS Program at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. 

It is hoped the report, which has been released in advance of the United Nations secretary-general's Climate Summit on September 23rd, will help support wider agreement on climate policy.