Britain should switch to a NINE-HOUR working week to save the planet
Britain should switch to a NINE-HOUR working week to cut emissions and save the planet, think tank claims
- New study by Autonomy suggests the cuts to halt more than 2C global warming
- Claim it is the only way for UK to meet greenhouse gas targets set by the UN
- Director Will Stronge said: ‘Becoming a green, sustainable society will require a number of strategies, a shorter working week being one of them’
Britons should be working nine-hour weeks to help solve climate change and reduce green house gas emissions, according to a new study.
Autonomy, an environmental think tank, published research which suggests that reducing the amount of hours Britons work would keep the country within the ‘planetary boundary’ of 2C of global warming at current carbon intensity levels.
They claim it is the only way for the UK to meet the greenhouse gas emission targets set by the UN.
Britons should be working nine-hour weeks to help solve climate change and reduce green house gas emissions, according to a new study
Autonomy, an environmental think tank, published research which suggests that reducing the amount of hours Britons work would keep the country within the ‘planetary boundary’ of 2C of global warming at current carbon intensity levels. Pictured are Extinction Rebellion activists on top of a Docklands Light Railway train stopping Britons from getting to work
The think tank’s director, Will Stronge, said: ‘Becoming a green, sustainable society will require a number of strategies – a shorter working week being just one of them.’
And while the report said that the shorter working week will help improve the nation’s mental well being, it said that the move is ‘less of a luxury and more of an urgency’.
Germany and Sweden were also called upon to drastically reduce their working weeks, based on greenhouse gas emissions data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the UN.
The report admits that merely reducing working hours won’t solve the climate change problem and that the UK also needs to shift jobs from sectors such as manufacturing and fossil fuel extraction towards employment in service professions and green jobs.
Autonomy’s director, Will Stronge, said: ‘Becoming a green, sustainable society will require a number of strategies – a shorter working week being just one of them’
Demand for working fewer hours has also increased in recent years with the inception of the 4 Day Week campaign.
Their manifesto states that reducing the working week to four days would benefit society, democracy and the economy as well as the environment.
Spokesman Emma Williams told the Guardian: ‘In addition to improved wellbeing, enhanced gender equality and increased productivity, addressing climate change is another compelling reason we should all be working less.’
John McDonnell, Labour Shadow Chancellor, said of the findings: ‘This is a vital contribution to the growing debate around free time and reducing the working week.
‘With millions saying they would like to work shorter hours, and millions of others without a job or wanting more hours, it’s essential that we consider how we address the problems in the labour market as well as preparing for the future challenges of automation.’
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