http://www.emagazine.com/view/?5346In recent study, enviornmentalists found that shopping or workking from home may actually be worse for the enviornment then friving to work or the store. Contrary to common belief both activities increase carbon emmisions. Not only that, but telecommuting can increase your monthly bill by up to 30%! Telecommuting can also increase the chance that someone will accept a job farther away from their house or urban center.
However, in some cirrcumstance telecommunicating CAN BE a better alternative. For example, one has to buy enough products, about 25 simultaniously, or replacea shopping trip that would have been a long drive.
Proffesor Phil Blythe Chair states that this new data tells us 2 things. One is that climate change isd a real threat to our planet, so we can't get overwelmed by the task, and use rebound efects as our excuse, Second, We must make sure that rebound effects don't override the possitive benefits of the current policys, and don't just move carbon emmisions from one sector to another.
Opinion:
I don't think that it this data really makes a whole lot of difference. If the two ways to work and shop are equally as bad for the enviornment it doesn't really matter which one we do. Until a better way to work/shop comes out this data really is useless other than just the eye-opener of wow, telecommuting isn;'t as enviornmentally friendly as I thought.
Questions:
1) What is a good alternatoive to telecommuting or driving to work or a store.
2) In what ways is telecommuting better for the enviornment, in what ways is it worse?
3) What precautions do you think will be taken in the futeure to make shopping and working better for the enviornment?
