rfriedmann
Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:55:30 -0700
This issue was and still is of concern within the energy efficiency community--known usually as the "takeback effect". Google and you will find tons of stuff on it--mostly circa 1980-90's... less so of late.. I personally think that it is false precision as it assumes you can know what would have happened anyways. For example, how many miles would people really have travelled without CAFE standards? We saw the price of gasoline at US pumps go from $1+ to almost $5 in CA these days, and it was only recently, together with the home sales implosion and other perceived economic downturn signals that people have started to drive less. Yes.. you can find studies that purport to have found that people's magical turning point is 4.5$/gallon--where above this value we will significantly reduce our driving... yet to ignore the context under which these questions are being asked, is to leave aside many confounding effects that may actually be larger influencers. One can also make the c! ase in the energy efficiency field that under the current "greening" of everyone, customers might actually be more careful in how they use say their compact fluorescent lights--ie, they may actually be turning off more of the equipment when it isn't being used, than in the past. Someone trying to study the usual 'takeback' might see a diminished effect today... or even see it be negative--that actual customer behavior is much more efficient. And it is these types of real life nuances that make?this discussion and any 'truths' that might come out of the literature, less valid and interesting to me than teaching the students to think?of the confounding effects that may be important to track before reaching conclusions about any "takeback" effect. ? Environmental advocacy, environmentalism, and whatever other green ism you may want to think about are all part of an ogoing socio-cultural evolution that is heightened when impacted nature and its inability to keep up with our propensity to abuse natural resources, makes it hard to continue to ignore the impacts ensuing from our profligate ways. To try to estimate how improved efficiency leads to increased consumption results in lots of resources focused on measuring the noise, not the signal. Or learning how to see the signal and showcase it to others who need to see it so that they act accordingly. Urge you to focus more on the signal, less on the noise. Be well folks Rafi -----Original Message----- From: Dana R. Fisher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Steven Bernstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: VanDeveer, Stacy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Ruba Marshood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu Sent: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:04 pm Subject: RE: Environmental Policy Failures compiled list This notion of a "rebound effect" has also been debated within the literature on the Environmental Kuznets Curve in economics and within debates about the theory of Ecological Modernization in sociology.? ? Dana? ? On Tue, 10 Jun 2008, Steven Bernstein wrote:? ? > In regard to Stacy's comments, there is a literature on the "rebound? > effect" that might be of interest. I.e., the idea that increased? > efficiencies can have the perverse effect of encouraging people to consume? > more. Sorry I don't have citations offhand. I gather there is also a? > debate about its robustness.? >? > Steven? >? > On Tue, 10 Jun 2008, VanDeveer, Stacy wrote:? >? >> Hi - I'll add on too.? >>? >> I think you might look for several examples of policies that improved? >> environmental efficiency (if way use such language), bur failed to? >> protect the environment. For example, neither US CAF? standards nor? >> European style petrol taxes have stopped the growth in vehicle miles? >> traveled or the growth in aggregate demand for gasoline (with all of? >> the incumbent environmental implications). In other words, I think? >> one might pay special attention to policies that were successful in? >> meeting some of their goals, but still failed to curb significant? >> aspects of environmental damage.? >>? >> --sv? >>? >>? >>? >> ________________________________? >>? >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ruba Marshood? >> Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 11:05 AM? >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Subject: Re: Environmental Policy Failures compiled list? >>? >>? >>? >> I would suggest adding - to the note on sharks - that they are not only >> harmed via by-catch, but also in targetted fisheries. the biggest threat is >> practice in which they are treated after being caught (whether incidentally >> or not) - in that they are finned and dumped back to sea. Essentially, this >> is cost-effective practice as the market values fins over the rest of the >> body by the tenfold...so for the fishers, it is much greater profit to take >> only the fins of as many sharks as possible rather than take the whole shark >> on board, with limited space, and have fewer fins.? >>? >>? >>? >> thanks for sharing!? >>? >> ruba? >>? >> On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 10:46 AM, Shannon K. Orr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:? >>? >> Thank you so much to everyone who replied with examples of? >> environmental policy failures. It was depressing but useful.? >> Below is the compiled list:? >>? >> Shannon? >>? >> - collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland? >> - European emissions trading scheme? >> - Yellowstone Wildfires? >> - Sharks are being torn out the ocean, but as by-catch, and no-on? >> pays attention to by-catch and beyond that sharks have little? >> salience in policy circles (here CITES has been neutered-- we? >> only have 4 sharks listed, one on the strict list but almost all? >> the great sharks have collapsed).? >>? >> - Coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass communities are getting? >> shredded. Mangroves have many domestic laws protecting them as? >> commons, but the same countries sanction enclosure and tearing? >> them down for shrimp ponds.? >> - US failure to sign Kyoto? >> - the fizzle of the National Acid Precip. Assess Project...? >> - why the local public utility commission doesn't promote least? >> cost procurement that includes energy efficiency and/or renewable? >> energy, and internalizes true socio-environmental costs of all? >> energy alternatives? >>? >> Other References:? >> - Paul F. Steinberg "Understanding Policy Change in Developing? >> Countries: The Spheres of Infuence Framework" Global? >> Environmental Politics 3:1, February 2003? >>? >> Ludwig et al, about 1993 had a great short piece in either? >> Science or Nature, on failure of fishery policy.? >>? >> - Dimitrov, Radoslav S., Detlef F. Sprinz, Gerald M. DiGiusto,? >> and Alexander Kelle. 2007. International Nonregimes: A Research? >> Agenda. International Studies Review 9 (2):230-258.? >>? >> - Rado S. Dimitrov, "Confronting Non-Regimes: Science and? >> International Coral Reef Policy," Journal of Environment and? >> Development, vol. 11, no. 1 (March 2002), pp. 53-78.? >>? >> - EEA (2005) Environmental policy integration in Europe - State? >> of play and an evaluation framework, EEA Technical report No.? >> 2/2005, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen,? >> http://reports.eea.eu.int/technical_report_2005_2/ (7/6/05).? >>? >> - OECD (2002) Improving Policy Coherence and Integration for? >> Sustainable Development: A Checklist, Organisation for Economic? >> Cooperation and Development, Paris,? >> www.oecd.org/dataoecd/60/1/1947305.pdf? >>? >> - Jordan, A. and Lenschow, A. (2000) 'Greening' the European? >> Union: what can be learnt from the 'leaders' of EU environmental? >> policy?, European Environment, 10, 109-120.? >>? >> - Jordan, A. and Schout, A. (2005) National EU policy? >> coordination and 'integration' in EU policies. In Environmental? >> Policy Integration Mechanisms and Tools, CSERGE-UEA, 21-22 March? >> 2005, Norwich. Available at? >> http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/highlights/march%20conf/? >> envpol_integration_programme.htm >> <http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/highlights/march%20conf/envpol_integration_programme.htm> >> (22/3/05).? >>? >> - Lenschow, A. (2002a) Conclusion: what are the bottlenecks and? >> where are the opportunities for greening the EU? In Environmental? >> Policy Integration: Greening Sectoral Policies in Europe (Ed,? >> Lenschow, A.) Earthscan, London, pp. 219-233.? >>? >> - Lenschow, A. (2002b) Greening the European Union. In? >> Environmental Policy Integration: Greening Sectoral Policies in? >> Europe (Ed, Lenschow, A.) Earthscan, London, pp. 3-21.? >>? >> - Liberatore, A. (1997) The Integration of Sustainable Development? >> Objectives into EU Policy Making: Barriers and prospects. In The? >> Politics of Sustainable Development: Theory, policy and practice? >> within the European Union (Eds, Baker, S., Kousis, M.,? >> Richardson, D. and Young, S.) Routledge, London.? >>? >>? >>? >> Shannon K. Orr, Ph.D.? >> Graduate Coordinator (MPA)/Assistant Professor? >> Department of Political Science 110 Williams Hall? >> Bowling Green State University? >> Bowling Green, OH 43403-0220? >> (419)372-7593? >>? >>? >>? >>? >>? >>? >? > ----------------? > Steven Bernstein? > Associate Professor, Department of Political Science? > Associate Director, Centre for International Studies? > University of Toronto? > 1 Devonshire Place? > Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3K7? > Tel: 416 946-8930 Fax: 416 946-8915? > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >? >? >? >? ? ---? Dana R. Fisher, Ph.D.? Associate Professor? Department of Sociology? Columbia University? 324M Fayerweather Hall? 1180 Amsterdam Avenue | Internet [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mail Code 2551 | ph: 212-854-9623, fax: 212-854-2963? New York, New York 10027 | http://www.columbia.edu/~drf2004/?