Rebound Effect

Switching to an electric car sounds great, but if you drive twice as much because it feels free, your net savings shrink. Economists call this the rebound effect — efficiency gains get partially eaten by increased consumption. It shows up everywhere: LED bulbs left on all night, efficient appliances in bigger houses.

Then there are embedded emissions — the carbon released to manufacture products before you even use them. A new smartphone carries about 70 kg of CO2 from mining, manufacturing, and shipping. Keeping your phone an extra year avoids more emissions than a month of perfect recycling.