How a 4-day work week can reduce carbon footprint

Everyone would prefer a longer weekend, without loss of pay. Now, as per a study, doing just that can be good for the environment as it reduces carbon footprint by a margin.

According to a new study, shifting to a 4-day work week without loss of pay could reduce the carbon footprint in the United Kingdom by 127 million tonnes. This is a reduction by 21.3 per cent equivalent to taking the entire private car fleet of the UK off the road. In principle, the concept may apply to rest of the world too.

A reduction in working hours could not only reduce UK's carbon emissions but also reduce carbon emissions that are created overseas to fulfil UK's demands.

"...carbon footprint includes greenhouse gas emissions released overseas to satisfy UK-based consumption for products like clothing, electronics and processed foods - emissions that would not have been produced without UK demand. The UK government has less policy levers to reduce these emissions. A reduction in working hours could play a key role in addressing these hard-to-decarbonise emissions," the report said.

The report goes on to mention sector-specific case studies and how various sectors will feel the difference. For instance, talking about the electricity sector, it said that reduction in work hours would also reduce electricity consumption, and also have an effect on the way people commute. Carbon-intensive commuting would be slashed, thereby reducing fuel consumption and travel costs.

The report, further adds, that expanding to a three-day weekend could potentially change how people spend their leisure times, and how the pandemic has forced more people to focus on their carbon footprint emissions. However, the study does mention how having a long weekend could have a direct impact.

"There is growing agreement among scientists that moving towards a more environmentally sustainable economy requires an urgent move away from our extractivist and consumerist economic model," it added.

To see overall environmental benefits, it is up to the government and regulatory bodies to put in place policies aimed at supporting people to have low-carbon leisure time.