Introducing Life Cycle Impact Assessment

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Life Cycle Impact Assessment

International audienceThis chapter is dedicated to the third phase of an LCA study, the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) where the life cycle inventory's information on elementary flows is translated into environmental impact scores. In contrast to the three other LCA phases, LCIA is in practice largely automated by LCA software, but the underlying principles, models and factors should still be well understood by practitioners to ensure the insight that is needed for a qualified interpretation of the results.This chapter teaches the fundamentals of LCIA and opens the black box of LCIA with its characterisation models and factors to inform the reader about: (1) the main purpose and characteristics of LCIA, (2) the mandatory and optional steps of LCIA according to the ISO standard, and (3) the science and methods underlying the assessment for each environmental impact category. For each impact category, the reader is taken through (a) the underlying environmental problem, (b) the underlying environmental mechanism and its fundamental modelling principles, (c) the main anthropogenic sources causing the problem and (d) the main methods available in LCIA. An annex to this book offers a comprehensive qualitative comparison of the main elements and properties of the most widely used and also the latest LCIAmethods for each impact category, to further assist the advanced practitioner to make an informed choice between LCIA methods

Environmental quality of ecodistricts. Part 1. Ecological standard-setting and environmental quality assessment.

Abstract niet beschikbaarA demand for standard-setting procedures in terrestrial ecosystems is identified in addition to existing standard-setting procedures for aquatic ecosystems. In this report a comprehensive method for environmental quality assessment is summarized, differentiated for ecodistrict types. These large scale ecosystem types may fulfill various land use functions, including nature conservation. Two quality levels, as distinguished in environmental policy (National Environmental Policy Plan), have been adopted as guidelines: General and Specific Environmental Quality (AMK and BMK respectively). The latter has been defined for nature conservation only. Quality assessment of entire ecosystems concerns the measurement of the present state and comparison with the desired state. The desired state is explicited in terms of 'ecological quality standards'. The results are presented in AMOEBE-like figures, with for each parameter the circle as standard, and the present quality as a percentage of the radius.DG

Provincial environmental scenarios-evaluation of a study in the province of Gelderland

Dit rapport geeft een evaluatie van een in 1983 uitgevoerd haalbaarheidsonderzoek naar de mogelijkheden om op provinciaal niveau een lange termijn milieuverkenning (milieuscenario) op te stellen. Aandacht is besteed aan: - maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen die op enigerlei wijze het milieu beinvloeden zoals economische groei, overheidsbeleid en regionale activiteiten ; - fysieke ingrepen in het milieu die veroorzaakt worden door regionale activiteiten; daartoe is een zgn. ecosysteem- en soortmethode verder ontwikkeld; - verontreiniging van het milieu, waarbij een selectieprocedure is ontwikkeld om tot een gewenst niveau van scenario-ontwikkeling te komen (emissie, belasting, concentratie, effecten) ; - effecten van ingrepen en verontreinigingen op doelstellingen van het milieubeleid (volksgezondheid, milieugebruiksfuncties en natuurbehoud).DGMH/B / VaartJ.van de