Systems Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA 98052.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Sep 26;120(39):e2304099120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2304099120. Epub 2023 Sep 18.
The growth in remote and hybrid work catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic could have significant environmental implications. We assess the greenhouse gas emissions of this transition, considering factors including information and communication technology, commuting, noncommute travel, and office and residential energy use. We find that, in the United States, switching from working onsite to working from home can reduce up to 58% of work's carbon footprint, and the impacts of IT usage are negligible, while office energy use and noncommute travel impacts are important. Our study also suggests that achieving the environmental benefits of remote work requires proper setup of people's lifestyle, including their vehicle choice, travel behavior, and the configuration of home and work environment.
由 COVID-19 大流行引发的远程和混合工作的增长可能对环境产生重大影响。我们评估了这一转变的温室气体排放，考虑了包括信息和通信技术、通勤、非通勤旅行以及办公和住宅能源使用在内的因素。我们发现，在美国，从现场工作切换到远程工作最多可以减少 58%的工作碳足迹，而信息技术使用的影响可以忽略不计，而办公能源使用和非通勤旅行的影响则很重要。我们的研究还表明，要实现远程工作的环境效益，需要适当调整人们的生活方式，包括他们的车辆选择、出行行为以及家庭和工作环境的配置。
