The climate benefits of a four-day workweek |
Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College and lead researcher at 4 Day Week Global who worked on both the U.K. and U.S. pilots for four-day workweeks, argues that a shorter working week is key to achieving the carbon emissions reductions the world needs. "Although climate benefits are the most challenging thing to measure, we have a lot of research showing that over time, as countries reduce hours of work, their carbon emissions fall," she says. A 10% reduction in hours is associated to an 8.6% fall in carbon footprint, according to a study co-authored by Schor in 2012. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows people in the U.S. burn nearly 10% less fossil fuels on weekends than they do on weekdays. Jon Leland, vice president and head of sustainability at crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, which took part in the U.S. trial, believes shifting Friday from a weekday to a weekend day could represent a significant improvement in fossil fuel emissions. "These numbers show that the four-day week can really have a substantial impact," he says. But some observers believe that a reduction in working hours might pose others risks for the environment. Anupam Nanda, professor of urban economics and real estate at the University of Manchester in the U.K., says: "If you end up taking a plane or driving a hundred miles for leisure activities, that can hardly help tackle the climate crisis." |
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