How can LCA include prospective elements to assess emerging technologies and system transitions? The 76th LCA Discussion Forum on Life Cycle Assessment, 19 November 2020
Journal article, 2021
This paper summarizes the 76th LCA Discussion Forum end its main findings. Main issues when addressing emerging technologies identified were: the lack of primary data, the need for (shared) future background scenarios and (guidlines for) a common methodology. The following recommendations have been derived by the organizers: 1) Specific foreground inventories are always tailor-made, but consistency can be improved through lists of mandatory considerations. 2) Continue sharing (future) technology data and proxy processes, that can be readily replicated to new studies and assist in developing inventories. 3) Streamline and unify the process of including scenarios for background systems. New approaches may provide first important solutions to efficiently include consistent future scenarios in prospective LCA.
Prospective LCA
Emerging technologies
Transitions
LCA discussion forum
Author
Lugas Raka Adrianto
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH)
Mitchell K. van der Hulst
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
Radboud University
Janot P. Tokaya
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
Rickard Arvidsson
Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Environmental Systems Analysis
Carlos F. Blanco
Leiden University
Carla Caldeira
Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
Gonzalo Guillén-Gonsálbez
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH)
Serenella Sala
Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
Bernhard Steubing
Leiden University
Matthias Buyle
Flemish Institute for Technological Research
University of Antwerp
Mohamad Kaddoura
École Polytechnique de Montréal
Nicolas H. Navarre
Leiden University
Julien Pedneault
École Polytechnique de Montréal
Massimo Pizzol
Aalborg University
Beatrice Salieri
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa)
Toon van Harmelen
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
Mara Hauck
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
0948-3349 (ISSN) 1614-7502 (eISSN)
Vol. 26 8 1541-1544Subject Categories
Other Computer and Information Science
Information Science
Computer Systems
DOI
10.1007/s11367-021-01934-w