Watts innovations made coal a more costeffective power. William stanley jevons 18351882 was an economist and philosopher who foreshadowed several developments of the 20th century. How greater efficiency leads to greater waste, or jevons. If it were true, jevons paradox would have profound implications for. As stated previously, jevons paradox occurs when an increase in the efficiency in using a resource leads to a medium to longrun increase in the consumption of that resource rather than a reduction giampietro and mayumi, 2005. Watch out for this energy paradox in your quest for self. Despite this, the use of coal in england increased. The environmental efficiency strategy lowering the dtt factor in the ipat equation in hopes of thereby lowering ditmust come to terms with this paradox, first identified as such by jevons. To help clarify a variety of misunderstandings, we distinguish between the empirical claim that efficiency. The jevons paradox was first described by the english economist william stanley jevons in his 1865 book the coal question. Jevons observed that englands consumption of coal soared after james watt introduced the watt steam engine, which greatly improved the efficiency of the coalfired steam engine from thomas newcomens earlier design. It cannot be expressed better than in jevons s own victorian prose. Stanley jevons in the coal question 1865, the paradox he noted was in.
This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the jevons paradox article. On the jevons paradox, climate, and fighting defeatism. Click here to start a new topic please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes new to wikipedia. In the coal question william stanley jevons jevons, w. The curse of energy efficiency, better known as the jevons paradoxthe idea. The key to understanding jevons, he said, is that processes, products, and activities where energy is a very high part of the costin this country, a few metals, a few chemicals, air. By studying the effects of steam engine innovations made by engineers such as thomas newcomen and james watt, he found that the increases in efficiency that they created actually increased consumption of coal rather than decreasing it, as it became more economical for people to run them and thus more steam.
Jevons lived in england at a time when industry was expanding rapidly. In general, this paradox states that the more efficiently we use a given raw material, the more its consumption increases. Jevons paradox wikipedia economics the proposition that technological progress that increases the efficiency with which a resource is used tends to increase rather than decrease the rate of consumption of that resource. He is one of the main contributors to the marginal revolution, which revolutionised economic theory and shifted classical to neoclassical economics. The classic example of jevons paradox is the observation that englands consumption of coal jumped after the introduction of efficiency improvements in steam. Many wellknown minds, such as amory lovins, piped in on the new meaning of this old, obscure argument buried in 19th century classical economics. When william stanley jevons first made this claim in his book the coal question in 1865, he was referring. So a new energy policy framework should be established considering both. Jevons paradox beware the unintended consequences of. William stanley jevons stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The jevons paradox, which was first expressed in 1865 by william stanley jevons in relation to use of coal, states that an increase in efficiency in using a resource leads to increased use of that resource rather than to a reduction.
Energy efficiency policies and the jevons paradox 71 a consideration of all these aspects could lead to a reformulation of the national energy policy. Download citation jevons paradox in the coal question william stanley jevons jevons, w. Stanley jevons in the coal question 1865, the paradox he noted. The jevons paradox william stanley jevons 2001 1865, one of the foundational writers in ecological economics, in his famous book the coal questionidentified what is perhaps the most widely known paradox in ecological economics, a paradox which has subsequently become known as the jevons paradox clark and foster 2001. He is one of the main contributors to the marginal revolution, which revolutionised economic theory and. The improvements james watt had introduced made coal a. In economics, the jevons paradox sometimes called the jevons effect is the proposition that technological progress that increases the efficiency with which a resource is used, tends to increase rather than decrease the rate of consumption of that resource.
I was introduced to the concept as a college student in the early 90s, years before climate change began making daily headlines. Rebound analysis thus shows that holding demand constant is gratuitous. They cite jevons paradox normally used in energy consumption which states, in effect, that when technology advances so do efficiency and. The jevons paradox tells us that improvements in fuel efficiency can lead to more consumption of fuel, and its logic goes beyond tougher vehicleemissions standards. The jevons paradox and the myth of resource efficiency improvements john m. King hubbert began calculating peak oil, the economist william stanley jevons discovered, to his horror, peak coal. By studying the effects of steam engine innovations made by engineers such as thomas newcomen and james watt, he found that the increases in efficiency that they created actually increased consumption of coal rather than decreasing it, as it became more economical for people to run. Jevons paradox and the myth of technological liberation. This refers to a form of induced demand wherein efficiency improvements in the use of a resource causes increased consumption of the resource rather than a decrease in its use. The jevons paradox states that the economical use of fuel results not in. If this claim were to be true, i wonder how farreaching its behavioral and.
All jevons paradox shows on the individual level is that increasing energy efficiency alone as a conservation tactic is futile. Elliot 1990 letter to the editor, energy policy, 188. Jevons paradox and the perils of efficient energy use. Rebound, backfire, and the jevons paradox increasing energy efficiency is the driving force for growing global energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions this sounds like nonsense. Jevons paradox for lighting, sustainability is within reach. A look at how as the efficiency of machines increase and they need less fuel to power them, but as a result the operating cost of each machine is cheaper so their use is more widespread so fuel. Jevons suggested that as technological innovations progress, the rate of. William stanley jevons noted in 1885 that when coal burning got more efficient, people burned more coal. But there is one aspect of jevonss argumentthe jevons paradox itselfthat continues to be considered one of the pioneering insights in ecological economics. The classic example of jevons paradox is the observation that englands consumption of coal jumped after the introduction of efficiency improvements in steam engines. Nuclear power plant radioisotope thermoelectric generator. The spector of jevons paradox it is an article of faith within the sustainability movement that resource efficiency improvement must be the main response to peak oil and climate change. Jevons paradox is the observation that improved energy efficiency can increase the overall consumption of energy by making an activity cheaper and thus more scalable or accessible. The dsavingst is theoretical only, because lower costs heighten demand.
It must be combined with other tactics to be truly green. It also suggests that lowtar cigarettes can increase the prevalence of lung cancer and that lowcalorie snacks might actually make people fatter. Given the harsh realities of the jevons paradox, the u. Like many in my generation, ive been worried about global warming since i was young. Jevons noted that, the greater the energy efficiency, while in the short run will produce energy savings, may in the long run result in higher energy use. Jevons paradox is a notion that sums william stanley jevons discovery decades ago that the economical efficient use of a fuel coal often leads to. It is wholly a confusion of ideas to suppose that the economical use of fuel is equivalent to a diminished consumption. Allais paradox, the cable guy, the charitable trust, the chicken and the egg, the paradox of interesting numbers, the muddy children, the numbered balls, the recent and striking parrondo paradox, the self amendment paradoxand the paradox of voting. In other words, someone who acquires a house that uses 80% less energy than other houses suddenly has more disposable income, and is therefore likely to buy more stuff or go on more vacations. Capitalism and the curse of energy efficiency semantic scholar. Pdf, and accommodate increases in meat and dairy consumption from the rising middle class in places like india and china, we will need to. His paradox is that it is a confusion of ideas to suppose that the economical use of fuel energy is equivalent to.
Policy actions are necessary to support efficiency, but additional actions are also required to control the rebound effect. The jevons paradox was postulated by english economist william stanley jevons in his 1865 book the coal question. Jevons paradox is controversial and arguments have been adduced both supporting and opposing its validity 23, 24. William stanley jevons born on 1st september 1835 in liverpool, england departed on th august 1882 in sussex, england studied in university college london and owens college university of manchester influenced by jeremy bentham british philosopher, jurist, and social reformer. In economics, jevons paradox is a paradox about resource usage. In conundrum, david owen proposes that efficiency improvements in utilizing a particular resource or good will not actually yield reduced use of that good, but rather its increased consumption. If the quantity of coal used in a blastfurnace, for instance, be diminished in comparison. The jevons paradox was discovered in 1865 by british economist william stanley jevons. Jevons observed that the steam engine james watt had developed was much omre efficient that the earlier model of thomas newcomen. The jevons paradox and the myth of resource efficiency. It cannot be expressed better than in jevonss own victorian prose.
The problem of energy efficiency, known as the jevons paradox. The subtlety of the jevons paradox is that it accounts for the basic problem of prosperity. This has subsequently been proved to apply not just to fossil fuels, but other resource use scenarios. It is also called jevons effect, after william stanley jevons who first observed it in 1865. In economics, the jevons paradox occurs when technological progress or government policy. This paper summarises and critiques the arguments and evidence that have been cited in support of jevons paradox, focusing in particular on the work of len brookes and harry saunders. The solution, as with many problems which at their root involve a capability for frivolous expenditure without a directacute negative impact on the individuals in question, is a change in values. The jevons paradox is based on the observation that an improvement in the efficiency with which a natural resource is used is often associated with an increase in. Unfortunately, the really effective way to do this, reduce personal energy consumption, is unpalatable to many. Foreword to the second edition ten new paradoxes have been added. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject put new text under old text. Jevons paradox as a result of stanley jevons brilliant insight, nothing changed. It is historically called the jevons paradox as it ran counter to popular intuition.
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