Discussion»Questions»Computers and the Internet» WHAT IF all buys were made online for clothing/autos/kitchenware/appliances/books/food et al? How would climate pollution be affected? Why?
It would reduce the number of individual car journeys because one van could deliver to, say, twenty addresses in one round - though I couldn't begin to estimate the actual saving.
Though it's not what you are asking, it would also greatly increase unemployment numbers if as you imply, the shops all close down as a result.
On the other hand folks could get retrained to do jobs that would be needed in such a world as that. Perhaps even work from home thus saving on time, auto costs and pollution. About 20 years ago my son was a "homer". He worked and lived in northern California for a company that cycled employees in and out of the office. He went into work two days a week and the other 3 days he did all his work on the computer and would transmit it to the office. Space was shared by employees. The office he worked from when he did go in was occupied by others on the 3 days he worked from home. Somewhat tangential to that did you read or hear that coal miners in I forget what state refused to be retrained for other jobs because Trump promised to bring their coal mining jobs back? SIGH. Thank you for your reply Durdle and Happy Wednesday! :)
This post was edited by RosieG at November 29, 2017 2:57 AM MST
Oh, yes, certainly they should be helped to find new work, but technical progress is making less employment necessary for the same volume of work.
Quite a lot of people whose work is office-based, work at least part of their time at home, and it certainly reduces the commuter traffic. My last employer was able to allow working at home, less so from home - the difference being that "at home" meant occasional, ad-hoc arrangements rather than the sort of formal, regular arrangement used by your son and his company.
No, I'd not heard of the miners' refusal of re-training. I wonder if they still stick to that as it becomes clearer that Trump's promise is looking less and less viable. I hope they do find employment, but it may not be mining.
Durdle 