Re: Lovins knows that USA can be oil free by 2050 using mark
Posted: Tue 16 May 2006, 20:40:26
lorenzo wrote: Hold on there, MQ, isn't the efficiency sector doing exactly that? It radically reduces the 'energy intensity' of economies (energy used per production of a unit of GDP), while at the same time getting rid of fossil fuels and shifting to alternatives.
Initially, but it has consequences.
Straight from the EIA:
After the Arab Oil Embargo, the implementation of gasoline consumption standards for new passenger cars (the "Corporate Average Fuel Economy" or CAFE standards) was important in moderating gasoline demand growth, even while both the number of cars on the road and the miles they traveled increased. Beginning in the early 1990's, however, the burgeoning popularity of pick-up trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUV's) for passenger travel has sparked new gasoline demand growth. These light trucks and SUV's are not as fuel efficient as standard automobiles and, as they have become more and more popular, have reduced the average fuel economy of cars on the road.
Jevon's Paradox.