Beyond national economy-wide rebound effects

Here we argue that the common national focus of energy rebound should be extended to an international context. Specifically, given the global nature of today’s goods and factor markets generally, and energy supply in particular, national actions to reduce domestic energy use through efficiency improvements may impact energy use in other regions. This is an important issue particularly in the context of multiregional policy frameworks such as the European Union’s 20-20-20 package, as it implies that national targets and actions cannot be considered independently.