Why efficiency alone is not enough

I’ve been following the energy and environmental debate for nearly 20 years, and I have to say that I’ve never met the advocate for energy “inefficiency.” Some people seem to think that energy efficiency is a new thing and that if we just embrace energy efficiency alone … it will be the solution to all of our energy challenges.

Sorry, I just don’t buy it. Here’s why: The “efficiency only” argument fails to address growth in population.

By 2042, America’s population is predicted to grow by 100 million.

Even if we somehow we were able to reduce personal energy consumption by 25% to 50%, by 2043 we would still be significantly behind the curve because of population growth. In that scenario, each person would have to cut energy consumption by as much as 75%.

Let’s face it 400 million Americans can’t live on less energy than 300 million Americans (who are already using energy efficient appliances and consumer electronic devices).

Energy efficiency is a great thing, but efficiency alone is not the answer. So when you hear people who say it is, ask them how their math accounts for population increases?