Is Sloth the Solution to Global Warming?

Ronald Bailey | January 8, 2007

Well, maybe not THE solution, but the Washington Post reports that a new study found that if Europeans worked as hard as Americans, that they would emit 30 percent more greenhouse gases than they currently do. So the converse must be that if Americans kicked back and relaxed like Europeans we could handily cut our emissions by 7 percent below the levels we emitted in 1990 as set by the Kyoto Protocol.

Washington Post Science Notebook item here .

Comments

|1.8.07 @ 10:37AM|#

If Europeans were as productive as Americans, who knows what new energy technologies they might come up with.

|1.8.07 @ 10:52AM|#

Fascinating how not creating and consuming as much as humanly possible is now considered possible "sloth." Perhaps we should worry more about one of the other sins, gluttony.

Guy Montag|1.8.07 @ 11:14AM|#

I would love more free time! Installing two more carbs on the 'hybrid' 1972 Dodge Charger needs more attention than I can give right now.

More free time == more horse power!

|1.8.07 @ 11:17AM|#

Hey, it takes a lot of time to make the cheese, eat it, and then surrender your country to the guy who sells shishleek and berenj from his cart down at the corner.

|1.8.07 @ 11:19AM|#

In a class I took at UVA they had us calculate our global impact" (not this exact survey). The professor had one of the highest scores because she was always galvanting around the globe doing (possibly) important scientific research. My score was less than 1/3rd of hers because my activities only included things like light studying and walking to the convience store on a tuesday afternoon to buy 40's.

|1.8.07 @ 11:19AM|#

Cab: Gluttony has already been blamed for global warming. :-)

|1.8.07 @ 11:30AM|#

Gluttoneous people are the least of our worries. I'm worried about those gluttonous, slothy cows.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6240559.stm

|1.8.07 @ 11:32AM|#

Chances are I spelled "gluttonous" wrong one of those times.

|1.8.07 @ 11:35AM|#

Does this mean I can sleep in longer?

|1.8.07 @ 11:37AM|#

I'm doing my part. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

|1.8.07 @ 11:56AM|#

Stress causes increased flatulence. QED.

|1.8.07 @ 12:00PM|#

andronoid fuck it up and get the 8-Ball rollin'

|1.8.07 @ 12:12PM|#

So, the motto here is "C'mon Europe. You Can't Do it!"?

I.Self.Divine.|1.8.07 @ 12:21PM|#

In this vein of thinking, I just might have to double my weekly pot consumption. I mean...everyone needs to do their part to save the environment, right? *cough* Right?!

Warren|1.8.07 @ 12:26PM|#

The notion that consumption equals environmental damage is single entry bookkeeping.

Rhywun|1.8.07 @ 12:41PM|#

I find the notion amusing that "working longer hours" == "working harder". Without exception, the people I see working the longest hours are those who work the slowest and/or don't do anything at all productive during large chunks of the day.

uncle sam|1.8.07 @ 1:10PM|#

We could reduce our workload by at least 20% if we didn't have to support such a large, expensive government.

|1.8.07 @ 2:11PM|#

Don't these people have any idea how much C02 the average sloth emits?

Guy Montag|1.8.07 @ 3:49PM|#

joe,

Not to mention all that methane.

|1.8.07 @ 4:01PM|#

Well, it's good to know I've been doing my part to meet the Kyoto Protocol for years.