EVs on Speed: The Jevons Paradox Strikes Again
Mainstream economists and environmentalists share something in common. Both tend to tout efficiency -- think better light bulbs -- as the solution to climate change and all our other environmental problems. But the little-understood Jevons Paradox intervenes to overwhelm any progress that comes from improved efficiency. We skewer the efficiency gains of electric vehicles, lighting, and plenty of other sectors, and we cover ideas for avoiding the efficiency trap, including unveiling our new political platform, which is sure to take the country by storm.
Sources/Links/Notes:
- Jason Barlow, "EVs Have Gotten Too Powerful," Wired, September 19, 2025.
- Russ Heaps, "Heaviest Electric Vehicles of 2025," Kelley Blue Book, April 7, 2025.
- Wikipedia article on energy efficiency in transport that includes a table that compares many modes of transport
- William Stanley Jevons, The Coal Question: An Inquiry concerning the Progress of the Nation, and the Probable Exhaustion of our Coal-mines (London: Macmillan and Co., 1866). 2nd edition, revised.
- Tomas Kloucek, "Darkness as an Endangered Species: Why Light Pollution Matters," Earth Bridge, June 11, 2025.
- Scenic America, "Billboards in the Sky: The Hidden Culprit Behind Light Pollution," July 30, 2025.
- Prepared Mind, "Welcome to the Great Unraveling (Tapestry Cloud Style Reweaving Polycrisis into Polyopportunity," June 20, 2025.
- 2,000 Watt Society
- Calculate your ecological footprint.
Related episode(s) of Crazy Town:
- Episode 3, "One Point Twenty-One Jigawatts"
- Episode 19, "I Can’t Drive... 35! The Rationale for Rationing"
- Episode 101, "Even AI Chatbots Hate Us: The Rise of the New Luddites, with Brian Merchant"
More description
Mainstream economists and environmentalists share something in common. Both tend to tout efficiency -- think better light bulbs -- as the solution to climate change and all our other environmental problems. But the little-understood Jevons Paradox intervenes to overwhelm any progress that comes from improved efficiency. We skewer the efficiency gains of electric vehicles, lighting, and plenty of other sectors, and we cover ideas for avoiding the efficiency trap, including unveiling our new political platform, which is sure to take the country by storm.
Sources/Links/Notes:
- Jason Barlow, "EVs Have Gotten Too Powerful," Wired, September 19, 2025.
- Russ Heaps, "Heaviest Electric Vehicles of 2025," Kelley Blue Book, April 7, 2025.
- Wikipedia article on energy efficiency in transport that includes a table that compares many modes of transport
- William Stanley Jevons, The Coal Question: An Inquiry concerning the Progress of the Nation, and the Probable Exhaustion of our Coal-mines (London: Macmillan and Co., 1866). 2nd edition, revised.
- Tomas Kloucek, "Darkness as an Endangered Species: Why Light Pollution Matters," Earth Bridge, June 11, 2025.
- Scenic America, "Billboards in the Sky: The Hidden Culprit Behind Light Pollution," July 30, 2025.
- Prepared Mind, "Welcome to the Great Unraveling (Tapestry Cloud Style Reweaving Polycrisis into Polyopportunity," June 20, 2025.
- 2,000 Watt Society
- Calculate your ecological footprint.
Related episode(s) of Crazy Town:
- Episode 3, "One Point Twenty-One Jigawatts"
- Episode 19, "I Can’t Drive... 35! The Rationale for Rationing"
- Episode 101, "Even AI Chatbots Hate Us: The Rise of the New Luddites, with Brian Merchant"
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