IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/halshs-00991778.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Is the rebound effect or Jevons paradox a useful concept for better management of water resources? Insights from the Irrigation Modernisation Process in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Aurélien Dumont

    (Departamento de Geodinámica - UCM - Universidad Complutense de Madrid = Complutense University of Madrid [Madrid])

  • Beatriz Mayor

    (Departamento de Geodinámica - UCM - Universidad Complutense de Madrid = Complutense University of Madrid [Madrid])

  • Elena López-Gunn

    (Observatorio del Agua de la Fundación Botín - UCM - Universidad Complutense de Madrid = Complutense University of Madrid [Madrid] - UPM - Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)

Abstract

Improving the efficiency of water use is usually presented as an opportunity for large water savings, particularly in the agricultural sector. Warnings that this may not translate into reduced consumption is sometimes associated with the rebound effect or Jevons paradox, an appealing concept that can be used to analyse and prevent undesired consequences in the rush for efficiency gains. This article, based on the energy sector, shows that the concept helps to identify possible unintended consequences of increasing efficiency and shows how efficiency gains are shared in society. However, it might be conceptually misleading when applied to water since it reinforces a myth on the consideration of water savings and efficiency, and may be also too restrictive. The recent modernisation of irrigation practices in Spain highlights that the rebound effect is only one of many possible consequences of efficiency improvements.

Suggested Citation

  • Aurélien Dumont & Beatriz Mayor & Elena López-Gunn, 2013. "Is the rebound effect or Jevons paradox a useful concept for better management of water resources? Insights from the Irrigation Modernisation Process in Spain," Post-Print halshs-00991778, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00991778
    DOI: 10.1016/j.aqpro.2013.07.006
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00991778
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00991778/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.aqpro.2013.07.006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dinar, Ariel & Zilberman, David, 1991. "The economics of resource-conservation, pollution-reduction technology selection: The case of irrigation water," Resources and Energy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 323-348, December.
    2. Seckler, D., 1996. "The new era of water resources management: from \dry\ to \wet\ water savings," IWMI Research Reports H018206, International Water Management Institute.
    3. Llop, Maria, 2008. "Economic impact of alternative water policy scenarios in the Spanish production system: An input-output analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1-2), pages 288-294, December.
    4. Perry, Chris & Steduto, Pasquale & Allen, Richard. G. & Burt, Charles M., 2009. "Increasing productivity in irrigated agriculture: Agronomic constraints and hydrological realities," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 1517-1524, November.
    5. Molle, Francois & Turral, Hugh, 2004. "Demand management in a basin perspective: is the potential for water saving overestimated?," Conference Papers h034365, International Water Management Institute.
    6. Lecina, S. & Isidoro, D. & Playán, E. & Aragüés, R., 2010. "Irrigation modernization and water conservation in Spain: The case of Riegos del Alto Aragón," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(10), pages 1663-1675, October.
    7. Alcott, Blake, 2005. "Jevons' paradox," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 9-21, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Julio Berbel & Carlos Gutiérrez-Martín & Juan Rodríguez-Díaz & Emilio Camacho & Pilar Montesinos, 2015. "Literature Review on Rebound Effect of Water Saving Measures and Analysis of a Spanish Case Study," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(3), pages 663-678, February.
    2. Xu, Hang & Song, Jianfeng, 2022. "Drivers of the irrigation water rebound effect: A case study of Hetao irrigation district in Yellow River basin, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    3. Carlos Gómez & C. Pérez-Blanco, 2014. "Simple Myths and Basic Maths About Greening Irrigation," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(12), pages 4035-4044, September.
    4. Anna Vizkeleti, 2015. "Comparative Analysis Of Renewable Energy Sources In The Case Of Hungary And The Baltic Countries," Enterprise Theory and Practice Doctoral School (ETPDS) Working Papers 21, Faculty of Economics, University of Miskolc.
    5. Sanchis-Ibor, Carles & Manzano-Juárez, Juan & García-Mollá, Marta, 2024. "Towards a new efficiency paradigm for drip irrigation? Changes in water allocation and management in irrigation and wetland systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    6. Mariem Baccar & Jacques-Eric Bergez & Stephane Couture & Muddu Sekhar & Laurent Ruiz & Delphine Leenhardt, 2021. "Building Climate Change Adaptation Scenarios with Stakeholders for Water Management: A Hybrid Approach Adapted to the South Indian Water Crisis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-15, July.
    7. Ortega-Reig, M. & Sanchis-Ibor, C. & Palau-Salvador, G. & García-Mollá, M. & Avellá-Reus, L., 2017. "Institutional and management implications of drip irrigation introduction in collective irrigation systems in Spain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 164-172.
    8. Adam Loch & David Adamson, 2015. "Drought and the rebound effect: a Murray–Darling Basin example," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 79(3), pages 1429-1449, December.
    9. Louis Sears & Joseph Caparelli & Clouse Lee & Devon Pan & Gillian Strandberg & Linh Vuu & C. -Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, 2018. "Jevons’ Paradox and Efficient Irrigation Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-12, May.
    10. Christian Kimmich & Sergio Villamayor Tomas, 2019. "Assessing Action Situation Networks: A Configurational Perspective on Water and Energy Governance in Irrigation Systems," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(01), pages 1-29, January.
    11. Songjun Han & Di Xu & Zhiyong Yang, 2017. "Irrigation-Induced Changes in Evapotranspiration Demand of Awati Irrigation District, Northwest China: Weakening the Effects of Water Saving?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-12, August.
    12. Qian Chen & Jaume Freire González & Donglan Zha, 2023. "The Gap between Expectations and Reality: Assessing the Water Rebound Effect in Chinese Agriculture," Working Papers 1415, Barcelona School of Economics.
    13. Song, Jianfeng & Guo, Yanan & Wu, Pute & Sun, SHikun, 2018. "The Agricultural Water Rebound Effect in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 497-506.
    14. Zhang, Ling & Ma, Qimin & Zhao, Yanbo & Wu, Xiaobo & Yu, Wenjun, 2019. "Determining the influence of irrigation efficiency improvement on water use and consumption by conceptually considering hydrological pathways," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 674-681.
    15. Whittemore, Donald O. & Butler, James J. & Bohling, Geoffrey C. & Wilson, Blake B., 2023. "Are we saving water? Simple methods for assessing the effectiveness of groundwater conservation measures," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    16. George Frisvold & Charles Sanchez & Noel Gollehon & Sharon B. Megdal & Paul Brown, 2018. "Evaluating Gravity-Flow Irrigation with Lessons from Yuma, Arizona, USA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-27, May.
    17. Villani, Lorenzo & Castelli, Giulio & Piemontese, Luigi & Penna, Daniele & Bresci, Elena, 2022. "Drought risk assessment in Mediterranean agricultural watersheds: A case study in Central Italy," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    18. Alexandros Gkatsikos & Konstadinos Mattas & Efstratios Loizou & Dimitrios Psaltopoulos, 2022. "The Neglected Water Rebound Effect of Income and Employment Growth," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(1), pages 379-398, January.
    19. Guifang Li & Dingyang Zhou & Minjun Shi, 2019. "How Do Farmers Respond to Water Resources Management Policy in the Heihe River Basin of China?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Molle, François & Tanouti, Oumaima, 2017. "Squaring the circle: Agricultural intensification vs. water conservation in Morocco," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 170-179.
    2. Julio Berbel & Carlos Gutiérrez-Martín & Juan Rodríguez-Díaz & Emilio Camacho & Pilar Montesinos, 2015. "Literature Review on Rebound Effect of Water Saving Measures and Analysis of a Spanish Case Study," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(3), pages 663-678, February.
    3. Berbel, J. & Mateos, L., 2014. "Does investment in irrigation technology necessarily generate rebound effects? A simulation analysis based on an agro-economic model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 25-34.
    4. Ortega-Reig, M. & Sanchis-Ibor, C. & Palau-Salvador, G. & García-Mollá, M. & Avellá-Reus, L., 2017. "Institutional and management implications of drip irrigation introduction in collective irrigation systems in Spain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 164-172.
    5. Lecina, S. & Neale, C.M.U. & Merkley, G.P. & Dos Santos, C.A.C., 2011. "Irrigation evaluation based on performance analysis and water accounting at the Bear River Irrigation Project (U.S.A.)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(9), pages 1349-1363, July.
    6. Gao, Yang & Yang, Linlin & Shen, Xiaojun & Li, Xinqiang & Sun, Jingsheng & Duan, Aiwang & Wu, Laosheng, 2014. "Winter wheat with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI): Crop coefficients, water-use estimates, and effects of SDI on grain yield and water use efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 1-10.
    7. Ouyang, Jinlong & Long, Enshen & Hokao, Kazunori, 2010. "Rebound effect in Chinese household energy efficiency and solution for mitigating it," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 5269-5276.
    8. Ghahroodi, E. Mokari & Noory, H. & Liaghat, A.M., 2015. "Performance evaluation study and hydrologic and productive analysis of irrigation systems at the Qazvin irrigation network (Iran)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 189-195.
    9. Kumar, M. Dinesh & van Dam, J. C., 2009. "Improving water productivity in agriculture in India: beyond \u2018more crop per drop\u2019," IWMI Books, Reports H042639, International Water Management Institute.
    10. Soto-García, M. & Martínez-Alvarez, V. & García-Bastida, P.A. & Alcon, F. & Martin-Gorriz, B., 2013. "Effect of water scarcity and modernisation on the performance of irrigation districts in south-eastern Spain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 11-19.
    11. Tarjuelo, José M. & Rodriguez-Diaz, Juan A. & Abadía, Ricardo & Camacho, Emilio & Rocamora, Carmen & Moreno, Miguel A., 2015. "Efficient water and energy use in irrigation modernization: Lessons from Spanish case studies," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 67-77.
    12. Kumar, M. Dinesh & van Dam, J. C., 2008. "Improving water productivity in agriculture in developing economies: in search of new avenues," IWMI Conference Proceedings 245276, International Water Management Institute.
    13. Lecina, S. & Isidoro, D. & Playán, E. & Aragüés, R., 2010. "Irrigation modernization and water conservation in Spain: The case of Riegos del Alto Aragón," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(10), pages 1663-1675, October.
    14. Barros, R. & Isidoro, D. & Aragüés, R., 2011. "Long-term water balances in La Violada Irrigation District (Spain): II. Analysis of irrigation performance," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(10), pages 1569-1576, August.
    15. Gholamreza Soltani, 2013. "Agricultural Water-Use Efficiency in a Global Perspective: The Case of Iran," Working Papers 778, Economic Research Forum, revised Oct 2013.
    16. Adam Loch & David Adamson, 2015. "Drought and the rebound effect: a Murray–Darling Basin example," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 79(3), pages 1429-1449, December.
    17. Kumar, M. Dinesh & van Dam, Jos C., 2009. "Improving water productivity in agriculture in India: beyond ‘more crop per drop’," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    18. Kumar, M. Dinesh & van Dam, J. C., 2008. "Improving water productivity in agriculture in developing economies: in search of new avenues," Conference Papers h041878, International Water Management Institute.
    19. Yan, Nana & Wu, Bingfang & Perry, Chris & Zeng, Hongwei, 2015. "Assessing potential water savings in agriculture on the Hai Basin plain, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 11-19.
    20. Lankford, Bruce, 2012. "Fictions, fractions, factorials and fractures; on the framing of irrigation efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 27-38.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    irrigation; rebound effect; Jevons paradox; efficiency; return flows; modernisation; Spain;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00991778. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.