The Jevons Paradox And The Myth Of Resource Efficiency Improvements

Author : Blake Alcott,Mario Giampietro,John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi
Publisher : Earthscan
Page : 201 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781849773102

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The Jevons Paradox and the Myth of Resource Efficiency Improvements by Blake Alcott,Mario Giampietro,John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi Pdf

'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. This has subsequently been proved to apply not just to fossil fuels, but other resource use scenarios. For example, doubling the efficiency of food production per hectare over the last 50 years (due to the Green Revolution) did not solve the problem of hunger. The increase in efficiency increased production and worsened hunger because of the resulting increase in population. The implications of this in today's world are substantial. Many scientists and policymakers argue that future technological innovations will reduce consumption of resources; the Jevons Paradox explains why this may be a false hope. This is the first book to provide a historical overview of the Jevons Paradox, provide evidence for its existence and apply it to complex systems. Written and edited by world experts in the fields of economics, ecological economics, technology and the environment, it explains the myth of efficiency and explores its implications for resource usage (particularly oil). It is a must-read for policymakers, natural resource managers, academics and students concerned with the effects of efficiency on resource use.

Author : John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi,Mario Giampietro,Blake Alcott
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2015-12-08
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781317705253

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The Myth of Resource Efficiency by John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi,Mario Giampietro,Blake Alcott Pdf

'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. This has subsequently been proved to apply not just to fossil fuels, but other resource use scenarios. For example, doubling the efficiency of food production per hectare over the last 50 years (due to the Green Revolution) did not solve the problem of hunger. The increase in efficiency increased production and worsened hunger because of the resulting increase in population. The implications of this in today's world are substantial. Many scientists and policymakers argue that future technological innovations will reduce consumption of resources; the Jevons Paradox explains why this may be a false hope. This is the first book to provide a historical overview of the Jevons Paradox, provide evidence for its existence and apply it to complex systems. Written and edited by world experts in the fields of economics, ecological economics, technology and the environment, it explains the myth of efficiency and explores its implications for resource usage (particularly oil). It is a must-read for policymakers, natural resource managers, academics and students concerned with the effects of efficiency on resource use.

Author : John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2015-06-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 1138866954

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The Jevons Paradox and the Myth of Resource Efficiency Improvements by John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi Pdf

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. This has subsequently been proved to apply not just to fossil fuels, but other resource use scenarios. For example, doubling the efficiency of food production per hectare over the last 50 years (due to the Green Revolution) did not solve the problem of hunger. The increase in efficiency increased production and worsened hunger because of the resulting increase in population. The implications of this in todays world are substantial. Many scientists and policymakers argue that future technological innovations will reduce consumption of resources; the Jevons Paradox explains why this may be a false hope. This is the first book to provide a historical overview of the Jevons Paradox, provide evidence for its existence and apply it to complex systems. Written and edited by world experts in the fields of economics, ecological economics, technology and the environment, it explains the myth of efficiency and explores its implications for resource usage (particularly oil). It is a must-read for policymakers, natural resource managers, academics and students concerned with the effects of efficiency on resource use.

Author : Lorenzo Fioramonti
Publisher : Pan Macmillan South africa
Page : 246 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2017-08-04
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781770105188

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Wellbeing Economy by Lorenzo Fioramonti Pdf

Economic growth is a constant mantra of politicians, economists and the media. Few understand what it is, but they love and follow it blindly. The reality is that since the global financial crisis, growth has vanished in the more industrialised economies and in the so-called developing countries. Politicians may be panicking, but is this really a bad thing? Using real-life examples and innovative research, acclaimed political economist Lorenzo Fioramonti lays bare society’s perverse obsession with economic growth by showing its many flaws, paradoxes and inconsistencies. He argues that the pursuit of growth often results in more losses than gains and in damage, inequalities and conflicts. By breaking free from the growth mantra, we can build a better society that puts the wellbeing of all at its centre. A wellbeing economy would have tremendous impact on everything we do, boosting small businesses and empowering citizens as the collective leaders of tomorrow. Wellbeing Economy is a manifesto for radical change in South Africa and beyond.

Author : William Stanley Jevons
Publisher : Pantianos Classics
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 1865
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : BL:A0026276093

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The Coal Question by William Stanley Jevons Pdf

Reproduction from the The Goldsmiths' Library of Economic Literature, Senate House Library, University of London. Publisher's advertising: [2] p., 3rd count. Includes bibliographical references. Access is available to the Yale community.

Author : Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 408 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2014-05-18
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781483187969

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Energy and Economic Myths by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen Pdf

Energy and Economic Myths: Institutional and Analytical Economic Essays is a collection of materials that deal with various issues and concerns in economics. The title aims to clarify the misconception in economics. The first part of the text deals with the issues in natural resources and the economics of production. Next, the selection tackles the problems in institutional economics. Part III covers the epistemological and methodological concerns in economics. The title also talks about economic theories. The book will be of great interest to economists and readers who want to enhance their understanding of economic concepts.

Author : Rob Dietz,Daniel W. O'Neill
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780415820936

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Enough Is Enough by Rob Dietz,Daniel W. O'Neill Pdf

This powerful book sets out arguments and an agenda of policy proposals for achieving a sustainable and prosperous, but non-growing economy, also known as a steady-state economy. The authors describe a plan for solving the major social and environmental problems which face us today on a finite planet with a rapidly growing population.

Author : Kozo Mayumi
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 174 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2001-07-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781134564590

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The Origins of Ecological Economics by Kozo Mayumi Pdf

Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen deserves to be called the father of ecological economics. This book connects Georgescu-Roegen's earlier work such as consumer choice theory and a critique of Leontief's dynamic model, with his later ambitious attempt to reformulate the economic process as 'bioeconomics', a theoretical alternative to neoclassical economics.

Author : United Nations
Publisher : UN
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2021-01-12
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9211587441

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Resource Efficiency and Climate Change by United Nations Pdf

"The International Resource Panel (IRP) was established to provide independent, coherent and authoritative scientific assessments on the use of natural resources and their environmental impacts over the full life cycle. The Panel aims to contribute to a better understanding of how to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation while enhancing well-being. The Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme. IRP assessments demonstrate the opportunities for governments, businesses and wider society to work together to create and implement policies that ultimately lead to sustainable resource management, including through better planning, technological innovation and strategic incentives and investments. Materials are vital to modern society, but their production is an important source of greenhouse gases. Emissions from material production are now comparable to those from agriculture, forestry, and land use change combined, yet they have received much less attention from the climate policy community. The IPR authors propose looking beyond energy efficiency to reduce global carbon footprint. This report was developed by the IRP in response to a request from the Group of 7. It conducts a rigorous assessment of the contribution of material efficiency to GHG abatement strategies. More concretely, it assesses the potential reduction of GHG emissions from material efficiency strategies applied in residential buildings and light duty vehicles, and reviews policies that address these strategies. The IRP modelling results show that increasing material efficiency can help enhance efforts in moving towards the 1.5° C target set by the Paris Agreement." -- Page 4 of cover

Author : Kent Klitgaard
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 120 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2022-01-17
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9783030935894

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Jevons' Paradoxes by Kent Klitgaard Pdf

I​n 1865, economist William Stanley Jevons published The Coal Question, describing the crucial role that coal played in British economic development. Here, he enunciated what has come to be known as the Jevons paradox, which stated that improvements in resource efficiency leads to greater resource use as the expansion of scale occasioned by lower operating costs overwhelms the savings due to greater efficiency. The implications for any sustainability scenario are enormous and a major theme of this book. While The Coal Question provided the theory that was a precursor to peak oil and resource limits to growth, it was followed six years later by the Theory of Political Economy, the first English-language work of neoclassical economics, which denies the importance of energy as a special commodity. In spite of this apparent contradiction, in this book biophysical economist Kent Klitgaard makes clear that there is no epistemological break between The Coal Question and Theory of Political Economy. Indeed, the Jevons paradox makes little sense in the absence of a behavioral theory grounded in marginal utility, which recognizes the satisfaction that each of us gains as consumers of one more unit of a good or service. Jevons could not solve this paradox in light of his belief that coal mines were becoming exhausted and more expensive to operate, and that there was no substitute for coal. However, he was uninterested in questions of sustainability; rather, he wanted to maintain British industrial and imperial dominance. Did the eventual substitution of oil for coal simply allow us to run through other resources at an accelerated rate? Indeed, the petroleum economy of the 20th and early 21st centuries has presented vastly expanded opportunities for the operation of the Jevons Paradox. This book shows the connections among the different paradoxes in Jevons’ work, and exposes the potentially fatal flaws that confound technological solutions to the sustainability challenge.

Author : Clifton Lopez
Publisher : Lulu.com
Page : 165 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2024-05-07
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9781300130796

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Of Green Illusions by Clifton Lopez Pdf

Author : Naim Haie
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 119 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2020-06-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789811562846

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Transparent Water Management Theory by Naim Haie Pdf

This book provides a solid foundation for a comprehensive, systemic and water-centric approach to water management. Said approach integrates two performance principles essential for sustainable water use systems, namely equity and efficiency. Further, it decreases the policy space for decision-making encountered by water managers and makes it easier to arrive at reasonable solutions because of the bounded rationality inherent in its development. By combining the distributive and aggregative principles, the approach offers a transparent and autonomous structure for gathering water data and enabling stakeholder involvement. Lastly, it employs and promotes a unifying language for all types of water use systems, e.g. urban, agricultural and industrial.

Author : Herman E. Daly
Publisher : Beacon Press
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2014-09-30
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780807047064

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Beyond Growth by Herman E. Daly Pdf

"Daly is turning economics inside out by putting the earth and its diminishing natural resources at the center of the field . . . a kind of reverse Copernican revolution in economics." --Utne Reader "Considered by most to be the dean of ecological economics, Herman E. Daly elegantly topples many shibboleths in Beyond Growth. Daly challenges the conventional notion that growth is always good, and he bucks environmentalist orthodoxy, arguing that the current focus on 'sustainable development' is misguided and that the phrase itself has become meaningless." --Mother Jones "In Beyond Growth, . . . [Daly] derides the concept of 'sustainable growth' as an oxymoron. . . . Calling Mr. Daly 'an unsung hero,' Robert Goodland, the World Bank's top environmental adviser, says, 'He has been a voice crying in the wilderness.'" --G. Pascal Zachary, The Wall Street Journal "A new book by that most far-seeing and heretical of economists, Herman Daly. For 25 years now, Daly has been thinking through a new economics that accounts for the wealth of nature, the value of community and the necessity for morality." --Donella H. Meadows, Los Angeles Times "For clarity of vision and ecological wisdom Herman Daly has no peer among contemporary economists. . . . Beyond Growth is essential reading." --David W. Orr, Oberlin College "There is no more basic ethical question than the one Herman Daly is asking." --Hal Kahn, The San Jose Mercury News "Daly's critiques of economic orthodoxy . . . deliver a powerful and much-needed jolt to conventional thinking." --Karen Pennar, Business Week Named one of a hundred "visionaries who could change your life" by the Utne Reader,Herman Daly is the recipient of many awards, including a Grawemeyer Award, the Heineken Prize for environmental science, and the "Alternative Nobel Prize," the Right Livelihood Award. He is professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, and coauthor with John Cobb, Jr., of For the Common Good.

Author : John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi,Mario Giampietro,Blake Alcott
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2015-12-08
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781317705260

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The Myth of Resource Efficiency by John M. Polimeni,Kozo Mayumi,Mario Giampietro,Blake Alcott Pdf

'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. This has subsequently been proved to apply not just to fossil fuels, but other resource use scenarios. For example, doubling the efficiency of food production per hectare over the last 50 years (due to the Green Revolution) did not solve the problem of hunger. The increase in efficiency increased production and worsened hunger because of the resulting increase in population. The implications of this in today's world are substantial. Many scientists and policymakers argue that future technological innovations will reduce consumption of resources; the Jevons Paradox explains why this may be a false hope. This is the first book to provide a historical overview of the Jevons Paradox, provide evidence for its existence and apply it to complex systems. Written and edited by world experts in the fields of economics, ecological economics, technology and the environment, it explains the myth of efficiency and explores its implications for resource usage (particularly oil). It is a must-read for policymakers, natural resource managers, academics and students concerned with the effects of efficiency on resource use.

Author : John Rae
Publisher : Boston : Hilliard, Gray
Page : 472 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 1834
Category : Capital
ISBN : MINN:319510015383496

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Statement of Some New Principles on the Subject of Political Economy by John Rae Pdf