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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-00991778v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. 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).
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Donglan Zha & Qian Chen & Jaume Freire González, 2023. "The Gap between Expectations and Reality: Assessing the Water Rebound Effect in Chinese Agriculture," Working Papers 1415, Barcelona School of Economics.
    6. 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.
    7. 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).
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. Singh, Gurpreet & Gandhi, Vasant P. & Jain, Dinesh, 2024. "Micro-irrigation adoption and the Jevons’ Paradox: A study from four states of India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    13. 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).
    14. 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.
    15. 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.
    16. 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.
    17. 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.
    18. 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.
    19. 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).
    20. 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.
    21. Zhao, Nan & Zheng, Xinjun & Zhang, Bin & Tian, Shengchuan & Du, Lan & Li, Yan, 2025. "Does water-saving irrigation truly conserve water? Yes and No," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).

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