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One practical solution to climate change may be to shut everything down for one day each week, kind of like some places did in response to the pandemic. Close a

One practical solution to climate change may be to shut everything down for one day each week, kind of like some places did in response to the pandemic. Close all non-essential business, restrict all non-essential travel, etc. In addition to giving our planet a much needed day off each week, it’d probably go a long way towards improving our mental health.

tekstar 5y ago
Too many big carbon emitters don't shut-down easily, and the cost to start them backup is likely higher (steel processing, container ships, power plants, etc)
gruez 5y ago
So basically earth hour but 168 times longer?
twobitshifter 5y ago
Or incentivize companies to implement remote work. Talking office commuter cars off the road would be a great step but everyone is rushing back to the office to go back to emitting huge amounts of CO2.
SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
> Close all non-essential business I think the last year and a bit has proven that every business would quickly decide itself essential.
MattGaiser 5y ago
Given that emissions did not drop that much during the pandemic, this wouldn't be sufficient. https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-carbon-project-coronavirus-causes-record-fall-in-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2020 https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-carbon-project-coronaviru...
- alkonaut 5y ago
  We didn't really stop industry. It did show how little effect flying and cruises have (which is good because I like flying) but it also shows that the emissions aren't just coming from luxuries that are easy to live without. Actually shutting down everything one day a week (giving 1/5 to 1/7 theoretical savings) isn't really going to work. Practically a lot of industry can't shut down, or would pollute a lot more by starting and stopping.
fy20 5y ago
The UK had a three day week for a few months in the 1970s in response to coal shortages and an economic crisis: https://www.theblackoutreport.co.uk/2021/01/06/three-day-week-1974/ https://www.theblackoutreport.co.uk/2021/01/06/three-day-wee...
jl6 5y ago
Carbon in the atmosphere is cumulative. Shutting down for one day a week just means accumulating at a slightly slower rate. We need to shut down carbon emission 7 days a week.
vegetablepotpie 5y ago
I think people would shift their emissions to different days of the week. During Covid, I could not work from home, so the office made each person take a different day off in the week to reduce concurrent people working by 20%. We would then work 10 hour days. I shifted all my chores and errands to my day off. Restrictions are a political non-starter. We need carbon neutral ways for people to go about their daily lives, solar and wind electricity production, electric cars, jet fuel produced by taking carbon from the air and assembling it into long chains.

tekstar 5y ago

Too many big carbon emitters don't shut-down easily, and the cost to start them backup is likely higher (steel processing, container ships, power plants, etc)

gruez 5y ago

So basically earth hour but 168 times longer?

twobitshifter 5y ago

Or incentivize companies to implement remote work. Talking office commuter cars off the road would be a great step but everyone is rushing back to the office to go back to emitting huge amounts of CO2.

SketchySeaBeast 5y ago

> Close all non-essential business I think the last year and a bit has proven that every business would quickly decide itself essential.

MattGaiser 5y ago

Given that emissions did not drop that much during the pandemic, this wouldn't be sufficient. https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-carbon-project-coronavirus-causes-record-fall-in-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2020 https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-carbon-project-coronaviru...

alkonaut 5y ago
We didn't really stop industry. It did show how little effect flying and cruises have (which is good because I like flying) but it also shows that the emissions aren't just coming from luxuries that are easy to live without. Actually shutting down everything one day a week (giving 1/5 to 1/7 theoretical savings) isn't really going to work. Practically a lot of industry can't shut down, or would pollute a lot more by starting and stopping.

fy20 5y ago

The UK had a three day week for a few months in the 1970s in response to coal shortages and an economic crisis: https://www.theblackoutreport.co.uk/2021/01/06/three-day-week-1974/ https://www.theblackoutreport.co.uk/2021/01/06/three-day-wee...

jl6 5y ago

Carbon in the atmosphere is cumulative. Shutting down for one day a week just means accumulating at a slightly slower rate. We need to shut down carbon emission 7 days a week.

vegetablepotpie 5y ago

I think people would shift their emissions to different days of the week. During Covid, I could not work from home, so the office made each person take a different day off in the week to reduce concurrent people working by 20%. We would then work 10 hour days. I shifted all my chores and errands to my day off. Restrictions are a political non-starter. We need carbon neutral ways for people to go about their daily lives, solar and wind electricity production, electric cars, jet fuel produced by taking carbon from the air and assembling it into long chains.