“Similarly, the same conclusion can be drawn for Quebec based on a reduction from 1986 kg CO2e per year per employee (fully in-person) to 706 kg CO2e per year (fully remote) per employee (total emissions).”
Emissions associated with remote work are 25% and 64% lower than in-person work in the NCR and Quebec, according to the report.
“More hybrid work days are more sustainable compared to a traditional in-office work,” Farzam Sepanta, one of the researchers behind the Carleton Study, told CBC.
On the other hand, workers’ household emissions rose by less than 10 per cent.
The government-funded report surveyed 1,500 public servants across three government offices, including the Canada Revenue Agency, and looked at emissions from transportation, homes, offices and internet use. Carleton University conducted the survey from December 2023 to February 2024.