A new study reported by the Center for Economic Policy and Research shows evidence that cutting working hours could slow down climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The economist David Rosnick estimated that if factories and offices operate fewer hours a day, the energy usage will drop, and carbon emissions will be reduced. If such strategy is implemented, then half of the expected rise in global temperatures could be prevented.
Rosnick also suggests that governments in developing countries should decide on the most suitable work schedule, choosing between more work, as in the U.S., or less output and less emissions, as in Europe.
It is important to note that another influencing factor is what people do in their free time. The personal and national economic climate of places are also very important. Reducing working hours in places with financial difficulties and crisis could have devastating effect on the national economic growth.
In order to prevent this, countries should direct more investments towards green technologies.
And even if working hours are not reduced, we could still implement some energy saving strategies- turning off printers and lights, investing in laptops instead of desktop computers and using energy saving bulbs, are just some of them
The Work Less Party is a political party in the Canadian province of British Columbia, says Wikipedia.
The party was founded in 2003 by Conrad Schmidt. The primary aim of this party is to move to a 32-hour work week. The party slogan is “Work Less, Consume Less, Live More.” The slogan describes the party’s aim to encourage people to reduce their consumption, to be more environmentally and socially conscious, and to focus on real values.
Instead of consuming, people are encouraged to spend time on family, friends, community engagement, art and creative endeavours, spiritual exploration, and athletic activities.
The party had a federal wing, called the Work Less Party, between October 2007 and July 2010.
The guiding principles of the Work Less Party of BC are that people should be working less, taking more time enjoying what makes them happy and spending less money on unnecessary consumer goods.
To accomplish this they purpose to start by legislating a 32-hour or four-day work week. Their research has shown that by reducing the work week from five days to four would result in approximately 7% less take home pay[2] but would also mean a much lower unemployment rate and allow workers to spend more time with family and pursuing leisure activities. Other policy points included on past platforms have included controls on rents and property costs, higher taxes on luxury goods, and the promotion of arts, education, sports and research, prohibiting unpaid overtime work, and changing to the payroll tax system to encourage hiring additional workers.
In 2005 the party stated its goal was to “champion the economic, environmental and social advantages of a reduced work week”.
The Work Less Party of British Columbia was founded by Conrad Schmidt on July 7, 2003. The 34 year old permanent resident of Canada, from Johannesburg, South Africa,[4] was living in Vancouver working as a computer programmer, and had already founded the World Naked Bike Ride[5] and organized events for the non-profit group Artists Against War.[6] He was motivated to start a political party after he linked rampant consumerism’s requirement for easy access to resources which he saw as creating wars, like the Iraq War, and causing environmental destruction. He witnessed people suffering work-related stress as they work to purchase unnecessary products while neglecting their families, friends and their social life. Another motivating factor was witnessing, at his place of employment, out-sourcing of work to China where, he was told, they would work six or seven days each week. Schmidt would make advocacy of a reduced work week and championing its economic, environmental and social advantages the premise of the new political party.