Efficiency Increases Often Lead To More Consumption

Making a resource more efficient does not always save it. Because efficiency lowers costs, people often end up using even more of the resource than they did before the improvement.

This phenomenon is known as the Jevons paradox. It happens because cheaper resources make it easier for people to expand their usage, completely canceling out the original energy savings. For example, more fuel-efficient cars often lead to people driving longer distances more frequently. It is a counterintuitive cycle that complicates modern efforts to solve environmental issues through technology alone.