UAE: Remote working is good for the environment, says Abu Dhabi entity

UAE: Remote working is good for the environment, says Abu Dhabi entity

A report says work-from-home policy helps reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions due to less traffic, electricity consumption

Published: Tue 18 Apr 2023, 3:15 PM Last updated: Tue 18 Apr 2023, 4:01 PM

Remote work or working from home results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and increased air quality, Abu Dhabi-based environmental regulator says.

“We supported the development of a Remote Work Policy for public sector employees in the Abu Dhabi Emirate,” Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) noted in its 2022 annual report.

EAD is the Middle East’s largest environmental regulator, committed to protecting and enhancing air quality, groundwater and the biodiversity of Abu Dhabi’s desert and marine ecosystems.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the trend of flexible and remote work. The EAD found out that work-from-home policies resulted in environmental sustainability gains and reduced carbon emissions.

“Our assessment of the lockdown showed that preventive measures introduced to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic also reduced air pollution and GHG (greenhouse gas emissions) emissions, largely due to less traffic and electricity consumption,” the EAD underlined.

In the past, several research and studies published by global organisations and entities like OECD, Nature, LinkedIn, Pew Research Centre, Harvard Business Review, among others, have highlighted the benefits of remote work on employee’s