Schultz Environment Blog

Environment in a broad sense,transports and energy issues. From my local point of view with a global touch!

Monday, December 11, 2006

Environmental policy tending to chase its own tail?
The efficient use of resources is a basic condition for a better environment and a sustainable development. Unfortunately it also seems to create counterproductive rebound effect. Either you do more of the same or you start to satisfy new demands and you consume more. It’s also so that economic development is caught in an efficiency trap where desirable changes give damaging side effects on the environment. The rebound effect hinders higher efficiency to give progress and development. Our society has a challenge to handle the surplus created by the increasing efficiency, in an environmental friendly way. This is a super short summary of an interesting analyse by the author Christer Sanne, The Royal Institute for Technology, made for the Swedish Environment Agency in a report.

It is an interesting analyses but the result is quite depressing, I think. Which political assembly will decide about the necessary direction in what we are allowed to do with the surplus from efficiency? Will it be the good hearted dictator or planned economy or is our democracy able to handle this issue? What do you think?

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home