An interesting, short (12 pages) .pdf paper , from a liberal think tank, argues that there would be significant environmental benefits if Americans lowered our work hours to match that of the wealthy European countries. From the paper’s conclusion:
If Americans chose to take advantage of their high level of productivity by shortening the workweek or taking longer vacations rather than producing more, there would follow a number of benefits.
Specifically, if the U.S. followed the EU-15 in terms of work hours, then:
- Employed workers would find themselves with seven additional weeks of time off.
- The United States would consume some 20 percent less energy.
- If a 20 percent energy savings had been directly translated into lower carbon emissions, then the U.S. would have emitted 3 percent less carbon dioxide in 2002 than it did in 1990.9 This level of emissions is only 4 percent above the negotiated target of the Kyoto Protocol.
On the flip side, there is political pressure within European countries to adopt a more American labor model. If Europeans did in fact give up their shorter workweeks and longer vacations, they would consume some additional 25 percent more energy. Translated into carbon emissions, this would have enormous consequences….
Shorter hours and fewer emmissions sounds like a good deal to me. No one is suggesting that shorter work hours are a stand-alone solution to the need to reduce negative impacts on the environment, but it could be part of a larger package of approaches.
Curtsy to MaxSpeak.
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So in other words, the conservative argument that anti-global-warming activism is secretly about shrinking the American economy and making us all poorer are exactly on target.
So in other words, the conservative argument that anti-global-warming activism is secretly about shrinking the American economy and making us all poorer are exactly on target.
don’t you have a crate full of puppies to shove through a meatgrinder or something? or are only asshole execs allowed a 4 day workweek, and all the stiffs working janitorial should be GLAD they have to work 80 hours a week to break even.
don’t you have a crate full of puppies to shove through a meatgrinder or something?
I have people to do that for me.
But of course I do a basketfull every quarter, to make sure I stay in touch with things on the floor. You have to stay engaged or your team gets unfocused.
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Seven additional weeks of vacation? What ever would I do with myself?!?
I’m not sure that shorter working schedules are in the cards for this country — the population is shifting towards older workers and we’re facing a potential labor shortage as the boomers all retire.
One thing that would shorten the work week and reduce carbon is putting an end to the insanity that is rush hour. Things like light rail, better mass transit and doing more to promote car pooling would all help reduce the hour long commutes many people have each way, each day. Two hours in a car each day is 500 hours a year, or the equivalent of 3 MONTHS of work, sitting in a car, staring at someone else’s bumper.