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4 Sefficiency (Sustainable Efficiency)
4.4.1 Jevons Paradox
Some water experts in presenting trade-offs refer to the Jevons Paradox (a type of
rebound effect), which states that “if there is an increase in efficiency in the use of a
resource its price can reduce, leading to an increase in consumption” (Maxwell et al.
2011). However, such an economic analysis does not apply to Sefficiency in light of
the following reasons:
• Jevons Paradox is about those resources that have one state after usage and not two
like water (FIW2a). Coal energy (the focus of Jevons Paradox of 1865) presents
possible paradoxical trade-offs between supply side efficiency, demand (one state)
and price. However, in water management, we have iSefficiency, water demand
(two states), and price that reveal more complexity than energy efficiency, some
of which are made clearer in the following points.
• Various local and global drivers are increasing water scarcity meaning that effective supply is decreasing, which does not allow the price of water to decrease (actually the prices are increasing almost everywhere). These are not the underlying
assumptions for Jevons Paradox.
• Jevons Paradox does not consider pollution but Sefficiency does.
• The solutions according to Sefficiency do not necessarily increase water demand
or reduce its price because of the complex trade-offs of the three Pillars.
• The use of technology in production processes of energy was another focus of
Jevons Paradox. However, technology in Sefficiency is for data gathering in a
learning process in order to better estimate the three Pillars, and make water
balance (FIW1) more robust. In general, this increases the cost of water supply
(not decreasing according to Jevons Paradox) but eventually makes planning and
management of this vital resource more sustainable.
• In the absence of proper policies, it is possible that production technologies, e.g.,
in irrigation, cause water consumption to increase. However, this does not mean
that Sefficiency increases because of the trade-offs of the three pillars. In other
words, it is not water consumption alone but rather the performance of the WUS
within a specific situation that is the deciding factor. This is again different from
the logical setting of Jevons Paradox.
4.4.2 Three Impacts in Differentials
The eight important Sefficiency indicators (Sect. 1.2) give twelve significant combinations that show trade-offs between those indicators. These are divided into three
impact categories as follows:
• I/O impacts are due to the differences between inflow and consumptive Sefficiencies at the same Level and Pollution. This is done via the following four
comparisons:
4 Sefficiency (Sustainable Efficiency)
4.4.1 Jevons Paradox
Some water experts in presenting trade-offs refer to the Jevons Paradox (a type of
rebound effect), which states that “if there is an increase in efficiency in the use of a
resource its price can reduce, leading to an increase in consumption” (Maxwell et al.
2011). However, such an economic analysis does not apply to Sefficiency in light of
the following reasons:
• Jevons Paradox is about those resources that have one state after usage and not two
like water (FIW2a). Coal energy (the focus of Jevons Paradox of 1865) presents
possible paradoxical trade-offs between supply side efficiency, demand (one state)
and price. However, in water management, we have iSefficiency, water demand
(two states), and price that reveal more complexity than energy efficiency, some
of which are made clearer in the following points.
• Various local and global drivers are increasing water scarcity meaning that effective supply is decreasing, which does not allow the price of water to decrease (actually the prices are increasing almost everywhere). These are not the underlying
assumptions for Jevons Paradox.
• Jevons Paradox does not consider pollution but Sefficiency does.
• The solutions according to Sefficiency do not necessarily increase water demand
or reduce its price because of the complex trade-offs of the three Pillars.
• The use of technology in production processes of energy was another focus of
Jevons Paradox. However, technology in Sefficiency is for data gathering in a
learning process in order to better estimate the three Pillars, and make water
balance (FIW1) more robust. In general, this increases the cost of water supply
(not decreasing according to Jevons Paradox) but eventually makes planning and
management of this vital resource more sustainable.
• In the absence of proper policies, it is possible that production technologies, e.g.,
in irrigation, cause water consumption to increase. However, this does not mean
that Sefficiency increases because of the trade-offs of the three pillars. In other
words, it is not water consumption alone but rather the performance of the WUS
within a specific situation that is the deciding factor. This is again different from
the logical setting of Jevons Paradox.
4.4.2 Three Impacts in Differentials
The eight important Sefficiency indicators (Sect. 1.2) give twelve significant combinations that show trade-offs between those indicators. These are divided into three
impact categories as follows:
• I/O impacts are due to the differences between inflow and consumptive Sefficiencies at the same Level and Pollution. This is done via the following four
comparisons: