Study.. working from home can save the planet

A recent study revealed that working from home has environmental benefits and that it can save the planet, at a time when many companies around the world are preparing to return their employees to work from their offices, after the spread of the new Corona virus vaccinations.

The study stated that employees who work remotely 4 days a week can contribute to a decrease in nitrogen dioxide levels by up to 10 percent.

The researchers from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona discovered that after testing telecommuting two, three or four days a week, nitrogen dioxide levels decreased by 4, 8 and 10 percent, respectively.

In their study published in Urban Sustainability, they also concluded that if 40 percent of service sector employees worked remotely 4 days a week, not only would this reduce nitrogen dioxide levels by 10 percent, but traffic emissions would be reduced by 15 percent.

The study authors also pointed out that the duration of work-related travel will decrease by rates of 12.5 percent, 25 percent and 37.5 percent, if working remotely for two, three or four days per week, respectively.

They also found that online education will reduce private vehicle use by 20 percent, and shopping will decrease by 30 percent.

The researchers reached their results based on mobility and air quality data, which were obtained in Barcelona during the lockdown caused by the Corona virus last year.

The study authors advise giving priority to teleworking and promoting it as an effective contribution to reducing urban air pollution in the long term and peak pollution in the short term.

The study's lead author, Alba Badia, also suggests resorting to the option of working remotely for 4 days a week during periods of heavy pollution, as it is simply based on maximizing remote work and minimizing work-related travel and shopping.

What supports the results of the new study is another study published by the American “NASA” agency for space sciences last June, which found that levels of nitrogen oxides have decreased globally by 15 percent since June 2020, which is the peak of the spread of (Covid-19).