Herbert Inhaber

Herbert Inhaber is a physicist and author of the book, Why Energy Conservation Fails. In the following viewpoint, Inhaber claims that conservation never succeeds in decreasing demand for energy because it ignores economic realities and human nature. He contends that demand for a commodity only decreases when shortages occur and prices rise, and since prices have remained low for fossil fuels—which remain abundant—demand naturally remains high. Furthermore, human nature guarantees that as some people conserve energy, other people will use up the energy that has been saved.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Inhaber, how many billions of dollars in savings has the United States lost as a result of its 1995 efficiency programs"
2. What happened to gasoline consumption after Congress mandated a doubling of gas mileage in 1973, according to the...