The Jevons Paradox and the Myth of Resource Efficiency Improvements PDF Download

Author: Raimund Bleischwitz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3790826014
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
Human societies face a threatening future of resource scarcity and environmental damages. This book addresses the challenge of turning these risks into opportunities and policies. It is a collection of high level contributions from experts of sustainable growth and sustainable resource management. Focussing on economics, sustainability, technology and policy, the book highlights system innovation, leapfrogging strategies of emerging economies, possible rebound effects and international market development. It puts natural resources centre stage and will make an important contribution to achieving the goal of a 21st century Green Economy.

Author: Blake Alcott
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1136553355
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
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: Mario Schmidt
Publisher: Springer Spektrum
ISBN: 9783662567449
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The book presents about 100 current examples of how energy and materials can be saved in manufacturing companies. They serve to show which measures can be used in modern companies to exploit the potential for resource efficiency. The book is aimed at practitioners in companies and consulting firms, but is also suitable for the university sector as a practical introduction to the topic of resource efficiency. The materials used account for almost 43 percent of the costs of an average industrial company in Germany. Personnel costs, on the other hand, are only 22 percent, while energy costs are as low as 2 percent. If a company wants to save costs, above all it must consider the use of materials and produce in a resource-efficient manner. This simultaneously relieves the environment and reduces dependence on scarce raw materials. The implementation of resource efficiency is not easy. There are indeed numerous starting points in production, often in process innovations or in product development. However, only a few companies publish their measures and savings potentials. In practice, this means that there are often no learning examples in practice, but some of them are explicitly listed in this work. As you can see, resource efficiency in production and products can also be seen as a success factor for many companies. In the project 100 Pioneers in Efficient Resource Management, committed companies from Baden-Wuerttemberg are showing their solutions. The project was carried out by a competent team from the Pforzheim University and the State Agency for Environmental Technology. Leading trade associations in Baden-Württemberg have supported it.

Author: Florian Flachenecker
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319788671
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
This book covers the multi-faceted incentives, trade-offs, and challenges associated with the economics and politics of resource efficiency investments. By contributing a wide range of empirical evidence, practitioners' insights, and policy perspectives, this book carefully examines the role of resource efficiency in reconciling environmental and economic considerations. It also discusses the critical role of resource efficiency investments in mitigating climate change and enabling sustainable development. Featuring expert insights from academia, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, this book provides a policy oriented guide, reference, and toolbox for unlocking the potential of resource efficiency. To this end, it identifies practical measures for overcoming barriers and creating smart incentives for leveraging resource efficiency investments. Overall, this book brings together evidence to develop innovative ideas and strategies for improving the efficient use of resources and advancing clean and sustainable development. "This book is an important and timely contribution", Angel Gurria, Secretary General, OECD

Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264257349
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
This report responds to the request by G7 Leaders at the Schloss Elmau Summit in June 2015, for the OECD to develop policy guidance on resource efficiency.

Author: Stefan Krämer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 3527340742
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 528

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Book Description
This monograph provides foundations, methods, guidelines and examples for monitoring and improving resource efficiency during the operation of processing plants and for improving their design. The measures taken to improve their energy and resource efficiency are strongly influenced by regulations and standards which are covered in Part I of this book. Without changing the actual processing equipment, the way how the processes are operated can have a strong influence on the resource efficiency of the plants and this potential can be exploited with much smaller investments than needed for the introduction of new process technologies. This aspect is the focus of Part II. In Part III we discuss physical changes of the process technology such as heat integration, synthesis and realization of optimal processes, and industrial symbiosis. The last part deals with the people that are needed to make these changes possible and discusses the path towards a resource efficiency culture. Written with industrial solutions in mind, this text will benefit practitioners as well as the academic community.

Author: Stefan Alexander Blume
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030518949
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
This book presents a concept for fostering resource efficient manufacturing. The protection of our environment demands a more responsible use of natural resources, and a higher degree of transparency along manufacturing value chains will be required in order to make significant advances in this context. Industrial decision makers must be provided with adequate methods and tools to simultaneously and systematically pursue technical, economic and environmental targets. Building on established and complementary methods, such as material and energy flow analysis (MEFA), value stream mapping (VSM), life cycle costing (LCC) and environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), this book introduces a concept that allows a holistic modeling and multi-dimensional performance assessment of manufacturing systems on different levels – from processes up to entire value chains and product life cycles. It also demonstrates the application of the concept using two case studies from the metal mechanic industry.

Author: Manoranjan Mishra
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 100029224X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
The EU is a major trade partner with India, and economic linkages continue to deepen. India and the EU have increased their political interactions and are crucial partners in promoting sustainable development. Recent trends in India-EU relations show that New Delhi and Brussels are keen to expand their partnership in multiple areas, including sustainable development and natural resources management. This volume takes a unique approach to exploring the efficient management of resources in the era of resource depletion due to climate changes and business expansion, in conjunction with considering the multiple dimensions of India-European Union cooperation. It analyzes regional and global trends in the process of globalization and sustainable development, particularly in the context of natural resource management and resource efficiency. It offers a variety of perspectives through useful and current information in this field, providing a concise and holistic understanding of the issues and challenges faced when exploiting natural resources for sustainable and efficient resource utilization.

Author: Bruce Lankford
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134079389
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
The efficient use of natural resources is key to a sustainable economy, and yet the complexities of the physical aspects of resource efficiency are poorly understood. In this challenging book, the author proposes a major advance in our understanding of this topic by analysing resource efficiency and efficiency gains from the perspective of common pool resources, applying this idea particularly to water resources and its use in irrigated agriculture. The author proposes a novel concept of "the paracommons", through which the savings of increased resource efficiency can be viewed. In effect he asks; "who gets the gain of an efficiency gain?" By reusing, economising and avoiding losses, wastes and wastages, freed up resources are available for further use by four ‘destinations’; the same user, parties directly connected to that user, the wider economy or returned to the common pool. The paracommons is thus a commons of – and competition for – resources salvaged by changes to the efficiency of natural resource systems. The idea can be applied to a range of resources such as water, energy, forests and high-seas fisheries. Five issues are explored: the complexity of resource use efficiency; the uncertainty of efficiency interventions and outcomes; destinations of freed up losses, wastes and wastages; implications for resource conservation; and the interconnectedness of users and systems brought about by efficiency changes. The book shows how these ideas put efficiency on a par with other dimensions of resource governance and sustainability such as equity, justice, resilience and access.

Author: Carl Dalhammar
Publisher: Nordic Council of Ministers
ISBN: 9289327200
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
The European Union has initiated a number of initiatives to improve resource efficiency in Europe. The Ecodesign Directive is one of the policy instruments that could aid the transition towards a more resource efficient economy. So far, the Directive has mainly been applied to set requirements related to energy efficiency, but there is potential for setting legal standards that increase product durability and promote the future re-use and recycling of components and materials. This paper examines the potential benefits and disadvantages in applying the Directive for this purpose, and analyzes the potential to apply certain types of legal standards. There is a need for continuous development of indicators and methods in order to allow for a broader range of legal standards in the future. The study provides some short and long term recommendations on the way forward.