efficiency is irrelevant

Often when talking about climate change, people will bring up energy efficiency as a solution. Unfortunately, energy efficiency does not matter and increased efficiency is frequently counterproductive. To see why that is, take a good look at the problem. What matters is how much greenhouse gas we put in the atmosphere and how quickly it can get absorbed, scavenged, or otherwise removed. What is not removed stays there and that leads to increased heat retention and warming.

The same applies to resource depletion. What matters is how many trees we cut down and how quickly they can re-grow. Again, how efficiently we use the wood from those trees is irrelevant. You could argue that a very efficient process may provide wood to more people, and that is certainly true, but since there is no rule that says how much wood people need, it is not relevant.

In all cases, the total amount matters, not how efficient or inefficient the process is. There are no brownie points for efficiency. The same is true for all other forms of pollution or resource depletion that are threatening us. Global warming is but one effect or symptom of a much larger problem. Apart from climate change there are many other symptoms and signs of trouble. Resource depletion is another key issue we will have to deal with sooner or later.

The more wasteful we are, the faster we will deplete or poison our livelihood. It will take very drastic changes in our way of living to prevent major disasters. And these changes will need to be implemented soon, because the longer we talk, the more greenhouse gases accumulate, and the more natural resources that vanish. But let's go back to efficiency.

The trouble with efficiency is simple: it is driven by the wrong mindset. We get more for less and so we save money. That immediately makes the item affordable to more people and it compels us to use more. In the end the net effect is negative. Every time we look at an efficiency gain, and there have been many significant ones, we see the same pattern. First there are some savings, but very soon all gains are lost.

Airplanes are more efficient now and so flights are more affordable and more people fly more miles. In the end, air travel ends up polluting more than it did when planes were inefficient gas-guzzling machines. Car engines have become much more efficient over the past 30 years. The result is that more people can afford to drive and those who drive can afford bigger and heavier cars. In the end, more people end up driving more miles.

And that is just taking into account the use of the energy saving device. The real effect is bigger than that because it extends to our entire existence. When people spend less money on basics they have more disposable income. And disposable income is synonym with waste and overconsumption. Especially in the West, where few people actually save their money. Instead they spend it on vacations, larger homes, luxury items, amenities, electronic gadgets, etc. Each and every one of these uses involves more resource depletion and more energy use.

The more disposable income people have, the faster they deplete resources and add pollution. This activity is called "the economy," and we have come to think of it as positive. When "the economy" is good, life is good. When "the economy" goes into recession, life is bad. Unfortunately, when it comes to our long-term survival, the opposite is true. Recessions and depressions are good for us as a species. Good for our long term survival on this planet.

It is up to us really to decide to curtail this "economy," or replace it with something better. If we don't, nature will do it for us. And in a much more unpleasant way I should add. But for all of you efficiency-gurus out there, rest assured that it will happen in a much more efficient way.