The Engineer

Internet shopping may increase carbon emissions

News

According to researchers at Newcastle University, shopping on the internet or working from home could be increasing carbon emissions rather than helping to reduce them.

In a report produced for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the researchers looked at the ’rebound’ effects of activities that are commonly thought to be green. Rebound effects are the unintended consequences of policies that are designed to reduce emissions, but on closer analysis can move the emission’s production elsewhere or lessen the positive impact.

The report highlights that buying goods online can provide carbon savings, but only if the conditions are right. The study found that environmental savings can be achieved if online shopping replaces 3.5 traditional shopping trips, if 25 orders are delivered at the same time or if the distance travelled to where the purchase is made is more than 50km. Shopping online does not offer net environmental benefits unless these criteria are met.

They also say that working from home can increase home energy use by as much as 30 per cent and can lead to people moving further from the workplace, stretching urban sprawl and increasing pollution.

Prof Phil Blythe, chair of the IET Transport Policy Panel and Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems at Newcastle University, which produced the report, said: ’We hear a lot about the environmental benefits achieved as a result of working from home. However, on closer inspection, it does appear that any environmental benefits are marginal.’

The report also suggests that working from home can increase home energy use by as much as 30 per cent and can lead to people moving further from the workplace, stretching urban sprawl and increasing pollution.

Prof Blythe said: ’Our report highlights two important messages for policy makers. Firstly, climate change is a real threat to our planet, so we must not get overwhelmed by the task and use rebound effects as an excuse not to act. Secondly, policy makers must do their homework to ensure that rebound effects do not negate the positive benefits of their policy initiatives and simply move carbon emissions from one sector to another.’