Jevons Paradox arises when an increase in efficiency has a corresponding increase in gross consumption. The term was coined by English economist William Stanley Jevons in his 1865 book the Coal Question when he noticed coal was being consumed at a faster rate despite the improved efficiency of the factories. The paradox does not just apply to coal. It can also apply to food, lighting, water, pretty much anything you can consume. The reason for this is that when a consumable gets cheaper, people just buy more of that consumable. When gas is cheap, more people buy gas. Simply Explained has an informative video below on the Jevons Paradox.

Right now there is a growing demand for renewable energy sources to replace the environmentally harmful fossil fuels. There is concern that the particulate matter released into the atmosphere will accelerate the effects of global warming, making life worse for future generations. To combat this potential future, changes in energy sources may be necessary. Many see this switch as an imperative to saving the planet, but do not take into consideration that there are costs of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, nuclear energy, natural gasses, and others.

For example, the batteries used to store the energy retrieved from solar panels is typically stored in lithium ion batteries. Lithium mines are one of the most harmful mines due to the fact that they release a ton of carbon into the atmosphere, enhancing the effects of global warming. While the carbon released from the mines may not be as environmentally harmful as the burning of fossil fuels, it is still important to consider the materials in the actual solar panels themselves. Some of the metals on solar panels are toxic. When the life of the solar panel is over and they go into the dump, they have a tendency to leach into the soil and harm the soil and water quality nearby.

There is also an international relationships element to consider. As of right now, the US has imposed a sanction on Russia in reaction to the recent invasion of Ukraine. This decision was made by officials because they valued cutting off our enemies financially over keeping gas prices low. Likely, there will always be moral conundrums like this surrounding energy sources. Similarly, in 2021 Biden banned the import of solar panels and solar panel materials from China because they were mistreating their workers.

As shown in the graph below, the US has not changed its proportion of renewable energy. The only essential difference between our energy consumption now and in 1950 is that there is a greater overall number of thermal units. The key point being we are not replacing any energy sources. Each additional energy source is just adding on to the total amount of energy consumption.