Best available practice in life cycle assessment ofclimate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, photo-oxidant formation, acidification, and eutrophication-Backgroundson general issues

摘要

This report has been prepared by the SETAC Europe Scientific Task Groupon Global And RegionaL Impact Categories (SETAC-Europe/STG-GARLIC) thatis installed by the 2nd SETAC Europe working group on life cycle impactassessment (WIA-2). This document is background to a chapter written bythe same authors under the title "Climate change, stratospheric ozonedepletion, photo-oxidant formation, acidification and eutrophication" inUdo de Haes et al. (2002). The chapter summarises the work of theSTG-GARLIC and aims to give a state-of-the-art review of the bestavailable practice(s) regarding category indicators and lists ofconcomitant characterisation factors for climate change, stratosphericozone depletion, photo-oxidant formation, acidification, and aquatic andterrestrial eutrophication. Backgrounds on each of the specific impactcategories are given in another background report from Klopffer andPotting (2001). This background report provides details on a selectionof general issues relevant in relation to LCA and characterisation ofimpact in LCA. The document starts with a short introduction of the LCAmethodology and impact assessment in LCA for non LCA-experts. LCAexperts, on the other hand, will usually not be familiar in-depth withscientific and political backgrounds of the specific impact categories. A review of this is given. Also the discussion is provided about theissue of the position of the category indicator in the causality chain,and into the related issue of spatial differentiation. These two issuesappeared to be one of the core items forSETAC-Europe/STG-GARLIC.