Cycles
2011-03-09 06:38:17.839487+01 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
New York Times: When Energy Efficiency Sullies the Environment looks at The Rebound Effect: an assessment of the evidence for economy-wide energy savings from improved energy efficiency (PDF), which has a PDF of their launch presentation here. Via MeFi.
Analogues to the Jevons Paradox are things I've seen over and over again in looking at transportation: Commutes are made faster, so people expand the suburbs out. ABS brakes are introduced, so people brake later.
The last two centuries have been an incredible aberration in human history, and it looks like a short-term one: We grow to the Malthusian population limits, and the thing that raises the standard of living is some event that causes a large-scale die-off.