The concept of green growth rests on the idea of an efficiency revolution: green and climate-friendly innovations, huge investments to restructure the industrial, building and transport sectors, and a boost for using resources and energy more productively and efficiently. This study explores a fatal fallacy of the notion of green growth: while vast productivity increases do indeed incentivise a more efficient use of energy (and resources), they also raise demand. This rebound effect nullifies a considerable proportion of the savings potential of efficiency technologies and measures. Moreover, although the causal link between increased energy productivity and increased demand is well-established, rebound effects are still ignored in the majority of energy and climate studies and policies. This paper explores a range of possible rebound effects, outlines their quantitative extent and describes the difficulties encountered by political efforts to contain them. This summary was prepared by Eldis.
Chinese transport activity has grown rapidly in recent years, and curbing CO2 emissions from this sector is a major challenge. This paper investigates the potentials offered by both technological solutions and changes in infrastructure deployment strategy that can address this challenge.
This is the background paper to the ‘International Conference on Green Industry in Asia – Managing the Transition to Resource-Efficient and Low-Carbon Industries’, held in Manila, Philippines, 9-11 September 2009.