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Rebound effect (conservation)
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Rebound effect (conservation)
In energy conservation and energy economics, the rebound effect (or take-back effect) is the reduction in expected gains from new technologies that increase the efficiency of resource use, because of behavioral or other systemic responses. These responses diminish the beneficial effects of the new technology or other measures taken. A definition of the rebound effect is provided by Thiesen et al. (2008) as, "the rebound effect deals with the fact that improvements in efficiency often lead to cost reductions that provide the possibility to buy more of the improved product or other products or services." A classic example from this perspective is a driver who substitutes a vehicle with a fuel-efficient version, only to reap the benefits of its lower operating expenses to commute longer and more frequently." While the rebound effect is often expressed through indicators of interest such as resource use or broader environmental issues, the effect is measured by changes in consumption and/or production.
A body of scientific literature argues that improvements in technological efficiency and efficiency improvements in general have induced increases in consumption. Generally, economists and researchers seem to agree that there exists a rebound effect, but they disagree about its volume and importance.
While the literature on the rebound effect generally focuses on the effect of technological improvements on energy consumption, the theory can also be applied to the use of any natural resource or other input, such as labor. The rebound effect is generally expressed as a ratio of the lost benefit compared to the expected environmental benefit when holding consumption constant.
For instance, if a 5% improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency results in only a 2% drop in fuel use, there is a 60% rebound effect (since (5-2)⁄5 = 60%). The 'missing' 3% might have been consumed by driving faster or further than before.
The existence of the rebound effect is uncontroversial. However, debate continues as to the magnitude and impact of the effect in real world situations. Depending on the magnitude of the rebound effect, there are five different rebound effect (RE) types:
In order to avoid the rebound effect, environmental economists have suggested that any cost savings from efficiency gains be taxed in order to keep the cost of use the same. Furthermore, strategies for increasing efficiency may lead to unsustainable development patterns if they are not complemented by sufficiency-oriented strategies demand reduction measures.
The rebound effect was first described by William Stanley Jevons in his 1865 book The Coal Question, where he observed that the invention in Britain of a more efficient steam engine meant that the use of coal became economically viable for many new uses. This ultimately led to increased coal demand and much increased coal consumption, even as the amount of coal required for any particular use fell. According to Jevons, "It is a confusion of ideas to suppose that the economical use of fuel is equivalent to diminished consumption. The very contrary is the truth." When studying the increase in energy consumption due to coal burning, Jevons initially presented the idea of rebound effect in academic literature in 1865. As a result, the notion became known as the 'Jevons paradox.' Subsequent scientific study had not been mainstream until the 1980s; once economists adopted Jevons' theories due to global oil crises and growing global warming fears.
Although the concept of rebound effect was developed from the original paradox theory by Jevons, the contemporary economics have traversed, to expand the scope of what is meant by rebound effects and to provide Jevons Paradox a more concise definition. The concept of rebound effects have taken various iterations in different disciplines and has come to encompass several spheres of challenges and negative externalities. Walnum et al. (2014) carried out a systematic study of rebound effect research and observed the presence of seven viewpoints in which each provides unique interpretations and suppositions on the phenomenon: psychological study, ecological economics, energy economics, ecological economics, socio-technological discipline, evolutionary economics and urban planning. An eighth important position that of industrial ecology was also identified in further studies.
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Rebound effect (conservation)
In energy conservation and energy economics, the rebound effect (or take-back effect) is the reduction in expected gains from new technologies that increase the efficiency of resource use, because of behavioral or other systemic responses. These responses diminish the beneficial effects of the new technology or other measures taken. A definition of the rebound effect is provided by Thiesen et al. (2008) as, "the rebound effect deals with the fact that improvements in efficiency often lead to cost reductions that provide the possibility to buy more of the improved product or other products or services." A classic example from this perspective is a driver who substitutes a vehicle with a fuel-efficient version, only to reap the benefits of its lower operating expenses to commute longer and more frequently." While the rebound effect is often expressed through indicators of interest such as resource use or broader environmental issues, the effect is measured by changes in consumption and/or production.
A body of scientific literature argues that improvements in technological efficiency and efficiency improvements in general have induced increases in consumption. Generally, economists and researchers seem to agree that there exists a rebound effect, but they disagree about its volume and importance.
While the literature on the rebound effect generally focuses on the effect of technological improvements on energy consumption, the theory can also be applied to the use of any natural resource or other input, such as labor. The rebound effect is generally expressed as a ratio of the lost benefit compared to the expected environmental benefit when holding consumption constant.
For instance, if a 5% improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency results in only a 2% drop in fuel use, there is a 60% rebound effect (since (5-2)⁄5 = 60%). The 'missing' 3% might have been consumed by driving faster or further than before.
The existence of the rebound effect is uncontroversial. However, debate continues as to the magnitude and impact of the effect in real world situations. Depending on the magnitude of the rebound effect, there are five different rebound effect (RE) types:
In order to avoid the rebound effect, environmental economists have suggested that any cost savings from efficiency gains be taxed in order to keep the cost of use the same. Furthermore, strategies for increasing efficiency may lead to unsustainable development patterns if they are not complemented by sufficiency-oriented strategies demand reduction measures.
The rebound effect was first described by William Stanley Jevons in his 1865 book The Coal Question, where he observed that the invention in Britain of a more efficient steam engine meant that the use of coal became economically viable for many new uses. This ultimately led to increased coal demand and much increased coal consumption, even as the amount of coal required for any particular use fell. According to Jevons, "It is a confusion of ideas to suppose that the economical use of fuel is equivalent to diminished consumption. The very contrary is the truth." When studying the increase in energy consumption due to coal burning, Jevons initially presented the idea of rebound effect in academic literature in 1865. As a result, the notion became known as the 'Jevons paradox.' Subsequent scientific study had not been mainstream until the 1980s; once economists adopted Jevons' theories due to global oil crises and growing global warming fears.
Although the concept of rebound effect was developed from the original paradox theory by Jevons, the contemporary economics have traversed, to expand the scope of what is meant by rebound effects and to provide Jevons Paradox a more concise definition. The concept of rebound effects have taken various iterations in different disciplines and has come to encompass several spheres of challenges and negative externalities. Walnum et al. (2014) carried out a systematic study of rebound effect research and observed the presence of seven viewpoints in which each provides unique interpretations and suppositions on the phenomenon: psychological study, ecological economics, energy economics, ecological economics, socio-technological discipline, evolutionary economics and urban planning. An eighth important position that of industrial ecology was also identified in further studies.