Moment
An economist questions coal economy
Britain, 1865; Jevons publishes The Coal Question
Jevons examined improvements that made coal-powered production more economical. He argued that cheaper power could extend industrial activity and open additional uses, increasing the demand for coal. A better engine could therefore intensify dependence on the resource its individual operation conserved.
- Author
- William Stanley Jevons
- Resource
- Coal
- Argument
- Economy of fuel versus total use
The caveat
The size of any rebound depends on the technology and its users. Jevons' argument alone cannot tell us whether a modern efficiency gain will increase consumption.
Jevons considered the wider economy: cheaper engines could make more factories and uses of coal profitable.
How it connects
Jevons located coal-saving machinery inside an economy able to grow around it.
This moment appeared in When using less makes us use more, the Involves connection for October 21, 2026, which asked: Can a more efficient machine increase total resource consumption?
Check yourself
What did Jevons challenge in 1865?
The inference from economical fuel use to reduced economy-wide consumption. Exactly. He questioned the aggregate conclusion, not the reality of technical improvement.
What the sources establish
The Coal Question, published in 1865, linked economical coal use with industrial expansion.
Sources
The Coal Question (William Stanley Jevons; Econlib), Chapter VII, Of the Economy of Fuel