Jevons Paradox
Also known as: Jevons Effect, Rebound Effect, Backfire Effect
Formulated by
William Stanley Jevons
(1865)
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From
The Coal Question: An Inquiry Concerning the Progress of the Nation, and the Probable Exhaustion of Our Coal-Mines
Definition
The observation that technological improvements in the efficiency of resource use tend to increase, rather than decrease, the total consumption of that resource. In his 1865 book The Coal Question, William Stanley Jevons noted that James Watt's improvements to the steam engine, which greatly increased the efficiency of coal use, led to a dramatic increase in total coal consumption rather than a reduction. The paradox arises because greater efficiency lowers the effective cost of using a resource, which stimulates increased demand that more than offsets the efficiency gains. This principle has broad implications for energy policy, environmental sustainability, and the assumption that efficiency alone can solve resource depletion.