Next time your boss gives you grief for wanting to work from home, let them know you’re actually saving the earth.
Fully remote workers are responsible for less than half of the greenhouse gas full-time in-office workers emit, finds new research published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. In the U.S., one day of remote work cuts emissions by only 2%, owing to the offset impacts of things like electricity and home heating. But working from home part-time—between two and four days a week—brings personal emissions down by anywhere from 11% to 29% compared to in-person workers. That climbs to 54% fewer emissions for those working from the couch five days a week compared to those who head to the office.
