ESTIMATING THE EFFECT OF REDUCING CO₂ EMISSIONS THROUGH TELEWORK IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

Abstract

 We conducted a social survey to understand changes in teleworking frequency and commuting behavior, estimated the CO₂ emissions reduction, and roughly evaluated and compared the CO₂ emissions associated with ICT use, taking regional characteristics into account.

 The target regions were Tokyo (23 wards), which has a high rate of dependence on railroads for commuting transportation, and Tochigi, which has a high rate of dependence on automobiles. April-June and November 2020 were selected as the most frequent teleworking periods. Respondents were asked about their weekly work and commuting status, respectively. We obtained valid responses from Tokyo (n = 1032) and Tochigi Prefecture (n = 506).

 The estimated annual per capita reduction due to teleworking are 60 kg-CO₂ in Tokyo and 233 kg-CO₂ in Tochigi in an evaluation that included both public transportation and automobiles emissions. The estimated annual per capita reduction in Tochigi were 226 kg-CO₂, while in Tokyo were only 4 kg-CO₂, in an evaluation that included automobiles emissions only. The results indicate that teleworking may increase CO₂ emissions in Tokyo, where there are many train users, depending on the time spent using videoconferencing.