That efficiency gains achieved by employing technological
solutions often have a negative effect has been known since 1856 when William
Stanley Jevons described this counterintuitive situation, which has become
known as ‘Jevons Paradox’. This simple graph illustrates this effect. Be it extraction
of a mineral or the production of a product, employing technology will make the
process more efficient, initially, and lower the price of the product produced.
However, the lower prices will increase demand and, therefore, the use of the
resources employed. Unless more or better technology is employed, the extra
demand is likely to lead to a price increase cancelling the initial beneficial effect,
and in addition, the resource may be pushed to exhaustion. The technological fix
will have failed. Note, ‘solar’ and ‘wind’ are also subject to a
‘Fixes-that-Fails’ structure, but this requires a separate illustration.