Working remotely can cut carbon footprint significantly, reveals study
There is more to working from home than working in pajamas all day! Working remotely has been contributing significantly to a healthy environment, a new research claims. According to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people who work from home full-time produce less greenhouse gas emissions than people who work in offices.
Remote working can reduce emissions by more than 50%
According to the report, US employees working exclusively from home were projected to reduce emissions by 54%. Working remotely one day a week led to a 2% emissions drop, mainly due to reduced commuting. In contrast, those working remotely two to four days a week reported up to a 29% reduction in emissions versus on-site employees, emphasizing remote work's significant environmental advantages.
Factors that were taken into account
Researchers from Cornell University and Microsoft used a variety of data sources to conduct their analysis, including personnel data such as commuting and teleworking behavior from Microsoft and the Residential Energy Consumption Survey from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The investigation concentrated on emissions from a range of sources, including the use of IT, commuting, residential and commercial energy use, and non-commuting travel.
Key findings
The research authors discovered that the use of communications and information technologies had a minimal effect on people's work-related carbon footprints. Less office energy use and fewer emissions from the commute each day were the key factors in remote workers' lower carbon footprint. Working remotely has broader benefits for decreasing emissions, such as reducing traffic during rush hours, which may increase fuel efficiency.
Working remotely is not equal to net zero
"The net benefit for working remotely is positive but a key question is how positive. When people work remotely, they tend to spend more emissions on social activities," co-author Fengqi You of Cornell University told The Guardian. The study revealed increased non-work travel for remote workers, including more driving and flying. To reduce emissions, we must work remotely in an organized way.
