Re:Entrepreneur’s Letter to Obama: Give Americans a Great Ch...
by SilasX on Friday January 25, 2013 @06:42PM
(#5118440)
I'm pretty sure I explained that other policies must complement efficiency improvements, specifically penalizing the bad-thing-you-want-to-reduce e.g. with a tax. So you can ease up on the faux-naive questions -- maybe read the rest of original post that upset your worldview about fuel efficiency.
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Re:Entrepreneur’s Letter to Obama: Give Americans a Great Ch...
by youngerdryas on Friday January 25, 2013 @06:53PM
(#5118489)
The Jevons paradox is sometimes used to argue that energy conservation efforts are futile, for example, that more efficient use of oil will lead to increased demand, and will not slow the arrival or the effects of peak oil. This argument is usually presented as a reason not to impose environmental policies, or to increase fuel efficiency (e.g. if cars are more efficient, it will simply lead to more driving).[7][8] Several points have been raised against this argument. First, in the context of a mature market such as for oil in developed countries, the direct rebound effect is usually small, and so increased fuel efficiency usually reduces resource use, other conditions remaining constant.[6][9][10] Second, even if increased efficiency does not reduce the total amount of fuel used, there remain other benefits associated with improved efficiency. For example, increased fuel efficiency may mitigate the price increases, shortages and disruptions in the global economy associated with peak oil.[11] Third, environmental economists have pointed out that fuel use will unambiguously decrease if increased efficiency is coupled with an intervention (e.g. a green tax) that keeps the cost of fuel use the same or higher.[3]
Re:Entrepreneur’s Letter to Obama: Give Americans a Great Ch...
by SilasX on Friday January 25, 2013 @07:20PM
(#5118587)
>Third, environmental economists have pointed out that fuel use will unambiguously decrease if increased efficiency is coupled with an intervention (e.g. a green tax) that keeps the cost of fuel use the same or higher
Yes, the point I made from the beginning, except that I added that such a policy would make the contest for the supercar superfluous -- it would eliminate all the marginal uses of energy (i.e. where the benefit doesn't exceed the cost + tax) in the first place!
One step above copy-paste is analysis, and one step above that is understanding.
Re:Entrepreneur’s Letter to Obama: Give Americans a Great Ch...
by youngerdryas on Friday January 25, 2013 @07:43PM
(#5118665)
such a policy would make the contest for the supercar superfluous -- it would eliminate all the marginal uses of energy (i.e. where the benefit doesn't exceed the cost + tax) in the first place!
Love your work YodaBot!