Energy Efficiency And Sustainable Consumption

Most governments seek to improve energy efficiency in order to reduce carbon emissions. But this may not be as effective as is generally assumed. Various rebound effects' may take back some or all of the energy savings. It is even possible that improvements in energy efficiency will lead to increases in energy demand over the long term. Encouraging energy efficiency as a means of tackling climate change would then be futile - rather like a dog chasing its tail.