Teleworking between 2 and 4 days a week could reduce pollution by up to 10%

According to a study carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), teleworking between 2 and 4 days a week could reduce pollution by up to 10%, as it would reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is the main pollutant related to traffic emissions.

10/18/2021

This study has analyzed different proposals for implementing teleworking based on a series of mobility and air quality data in Barcelona, ​​which were obtained during the confinement.

The study was based on data obtained from an air quality model, and also on measurements from the stations of the Atmospheric Pollution Monitoring and Forecasting Network (XVPCA), which the Barcelona Metropolitan Area recorded during the confinement caused by the pandemic.

This study proposed three possible scenarios based on the implementation of two, three or four days a week of teleworking, and studied the changes in pollution with an air quality model for each.

The first of the scenarios proposes a model in which teleworking was done two days a week, which would reduce pollutant emissions related to traffic by 5% and consequently NO2 levels by 4%.

The second scenario would consist of teleworking 3 days a week, which would reduce emissions by 10% and NO2 levels by 8%, while also reducing work-related travel by 25%.

The third scenario, teleworking 4 days a week, would reduce traffic emissions by 15% and NO2 levels by 10%.

Teleworking between 2 and 4 days

The data from this study clearly reveals the importance of proposing models that combine in-person and teleworking to reduce the very high levels of pollution; Timenet is a perfect tool to apply this hybrid model, as it can be used in both scenarios in an easy and practical way!

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