Could Cutting Your Commute Help Tackle the Climate Emergency?

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• Could Cutting Your Commute Help Tackle the Climate Emergency?

26 August 2020 | Updated 22 September 2020

Research suggests that reducing your commute by just one day per week could save 379.2kg of CO2 emissions.

This amount of carbon is equivalent to 2,433km on a short-haul flight or a passenger trip from London to Istanbul. 

The team behind home energy-saving assistant Loop analysed data on the emissions released over a range of commuting distances, and they predict that with more people due to return to the office when the school term starts, emissions will rise.

Even Short Daily Commutes Contribute Significantly to CO2 Emissions

Loop found that commuters with a 50-mile round trip Monday to Friday would save around 379.2kg of CO2 emissions every year by working from home just one day per week

They also found that workers with shorter daily commutes can make a significant difference too. Those with a 10-mile daily commute would save around 75kg CO2 over the course of a year by working from home just one day per week – the same amount of emissions released per passenger on a flight from London to Dublin.

As well as the environmental benefits of cutting the commute, research from The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) suggests that 43 per cent of workers are worried about resuming the cost of commuting. The roll-out of congestion charges in London may further compound this. 

“Changing our day-to-day travel habits is undoubtedly one of the most significant ways we can limit our individual impact on the environment."

–Steve Buckley

Head of Data Science, Loop

Steve Buckley, Head of Data Science at Loop commented on the data: “Changing our day-to-day travel habits is undoubtedly one of the most significant ways we can limit our individual impact on the environment.

“The way many organisations both large and small adjusted to moving their workforce online in response to the global coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated just how adaptable they can be. 

“As we emerge from lockdown and begin to get back to a ‘new normal’, it’s vital that we take some of the more positive habits forward with us so we can collectively tackle one of the biggest challenges facing us – climate change.”

Picture: A photograph showing the interior of a car

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 26 August 2020

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