How to slow global warming: “work less” says liberal think tank study

Tell your boss that you’re not trying to be lazy. You’re helping the environment. That’s the report from the Center of Economic Policy Research, a liberal think tank. In the 13-page PDF they released, fighting climate change may be as easy as taking on a more “European” style of work schedule.

“For all practical purposes, some amount of climate change is inevitable. However, the amount of warming is very much under our control. In addition to reducing emissions by other means, a significant reduction in climate change is possible by choosing a more European response to productivity gains rather than following a model more like that of the United States. By itself, a combination of shorter workweeks and additional vacation which reduces average annual hours by just 0.5 percent per year would very likely mitigate one-quarter to one-half, if not more, of any warming which is not yet locked-in.”

You heard right. You’re not just hurting your health, your relationships, and your emotional well-being by working the hours that you work. You are contributing to the ever-growing menace of global warming. You owe it to the environment and the world to take more vacations, work shorter hours, and work fewer days.

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“Lazy Guy” image courtesy of Shutterstock.