Jevons Paradox & The Rebound Effect
When efficiency increases, consumption drops, right? Errr... No.. So far, increased efficiency has mostly lead to increased consumption.
This is called Jevons Paradox, discovered by William Stanley Jevons in 1865. He was concerned that improved steam engines would make England run out of coal faster!
Sources
This video wouldn't be possible without the work of others. Here are the sources I've used during my research & script writing:
About ManagEnergy. (n.d.). European Union. https://www.managenergy.eu/ManagEnergyProject
Beunder, A. (2013, November). De Jevons Paradox: energiebesparende technologie leidt (in een markteconomie) tot méér energieconsumptie. https://economielinks.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/meer-energie-efficientie-meer-energieconsumptie-de-paradox-van-jevons/
EU 2020 target for energy efficiency. (2014, October). European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/targets-directive-and-rules/eu-targets-energy-efficiency_nl
Jevons paradox. (n.d.). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox
Jevons, W. S. (1866). The Coal Question; An Inquiry Concerning the Progress of the Nation, and the Probable Exhaustion of our Coal-Mines. Fortnightly, 6(34), 505–507. https://archive.org/stream/cu31924030105294?ref=ol#page/n6/mode/2up
Petroleum, B. (2019). BP Statistical Review of World Energy Report. BP: London, UK. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2019-full-report.pdf
The Coal Question. (n.d.). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coal_Question
World Crude Oil Consumption by Year. (n.d.). indexmundi. https://www.indexmundi.com/energy/
York, R. (2006). Ecological paradoxes: William Stanley Jevons and the paperless office. Human Ecology Review, 143–147. https://www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her132/york.pdf