Jevons Paradox
In 1865, William Stanley Jevons observed that England’s coal consumption soared after James Watt’s more efficient steam engine replaced earlier designs, despite using less coal per unit of work. The paradox describes a counterintuitive economic phenomenon: technological improvements that increase resource efficiency lead to higher total resource consumption, not less. Efficiency gains lower costs, increase demand, and stimulate economic growth, ultimately overwhelming the initial savings.