Report
Are Shorter Work Hours Good for the Environment? A Comparison of US and European Energy Consumption

Report
Fact-based, data-driven research and analysis to advance democratic debate on vital issues shaping people’s lives.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
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December 2006, David Rosnick and Mark Weisbrot
European employees work fewer hours per year ― and use less energy per person ― than their American counterparts. This report compares the European and US models of labor productivity and energy consumption. It finds that if all countries worked as many hours per week as US workers do, the world would consume 15 to 30 percent more energy by 2050 than it would by following Europe’s model.