Jevon’s Paradox
Jevon’s paradox describes the frequently observed phenomena where the technical efficiency of system leads to an overall increased demand of the resource. Jevon’s paradox is often referred to as the rebound effect.
Example applications
The classic example of Jevon’s paradox was the use of coal in England after the creation of the steam engine. The coal-fired steam engine was far more efficient than other technologies at the time, and instead of reducing consumption of coal, the number of applications and volume consumed increased.
Today, there are many examples of technologies that improve the individual efficiency of a product, but lead to an overall increase in consumption. A good example is the continuous improvements in fuel consumption in cars, coupled with the average distance travelled increasing as with the total number of cars on the road.
Demonstrating Jevon’s paradox
To demonstrate Jevon’s paradox, data about consumption are required over a period of time. To demonstrate the paradox, efficiency improvement is also required.
Key concepts
- an overview of Jevon’s paradox
- an example application of resource consumption over time, especially where there is a concurrent example demonstrating improved efficiency
Core resources
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Jevon’s paradox can be related to the systems-thinking archetype fixes that fail.