Remote-Working Carbon-Saving Footprint: Could COVID-19 Pandemic Establish aNew Working Model with Positive Environmental Health Implications?

摘要

Urban air pollution is a major problem with known negative health implications, such asrespiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Lockdown measures have caused the reductions ofvarious urban pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matters(PMs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). COVID-19 pandemic has also establishedremote-working as an antidote to declining economic activity due to lockdown measures. Theenvironmental health implications of the new hybrid-working model, which drasticallyreduces the number of circulating vehicles, appear to be positive enough to reveal anemerging opportunity. Since this hybrid model may have started becoming a widely acceptedworking model, the current situation has revealed the opportunity of remote-workingarrangements to serve as a supplementary mitigative and adaptive measure against urbanenvironmental deterioration. Also, a remote-working carbon-saving footprint may beintroduced in order to evaluate a firm’s carbon footprint reduction due to remote-workingarrangements. These workings arrangements may be accompanied by improvements andexpansions of urban green spaces and with broader use of electric vehicles, transformingour cities into more sustainable, safe, healthy, and worth-living environments.