When Energy Efficiency Sullies the Environment (Bumped)

The New York Times is the unlikely source for this provocative headline.  Yes, you guessed it, it's the Jevons Paradox.

All the News That's Fit to Print,

“Efficiency advocates try to distract attention from the rebound effect by saying that nobody will vacuum more because their vacuum cleaner is more efficient,” Mr. Shellenberger said.  “But this misses the picture at the macro and global level, particularly when you consider all the energy that is used in manufacturing products and producing usable energy like electricity and gasoline from coal and oil.  When you increase the efficiency of a steel plant in China, you’ll likely see more steel production and thus more energy consumption.”