Challenge clusters facing LCA in environmental decision-making-what we can learn from biofuels.
Challenge clusters facing LCA in environmental decision-making-what we can learn from biofuels.
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DOI：
10.1007/s11367-015-0930-7
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发表时间：
2015
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Yin Y
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McManus MC;Taylor CM;Mohr A;Whittaker C;Scown CD;Borrion AL;Glithero NJ;Yin Y
生物能源越来越多地用于帮助实现温室气体（GHG）和可再生能源目标。然而，生物能源的可持续性受到质疑，导致越来越多地使用生命周期评估（LCA）。生物能源系统是全球性的和复杂的，市场力量可以导致与LCA和政策相关的重大变化。本文的目的是说明与LCA相关的复杂性，特别关注生物能源和相关政策的制定，以便其使用可以更有效地告知政策制定者。审查是根据一系列侧重于生物能源生命周期评估的讲习班的结果进行的。在前两次研讨会上对专家提交的材料进行了汇编和分类。出现了100多个问题。考虑到清单中的冗余和相似性，这减少到大约60个挑战，其中许多是密切相关的。其中一些问题随后在联合王国伦敦举行的一次面向政策的讲习班上作了进一步探讨。作者采用严格的方法对生物燃料/生物能源LCA和政策交叉点的挑战进行了分类。LCA的可信度是其在政策中使用的核心。即使是符合ISO标准和政策及监管文书的LCA，也有很大的解释和灵活性余地。在生物能源部门，这导致了挫折感，有时缺乏明显的方向。本文确定了主要的挑战集群：首要问题，应用和实践，价值和道德判断。其中许多都反映了从应用生命周期评价评估个别产品或系统向越来越普遍的更广泛方法的过渡。影响评估的不确定性强烈影响规划和遵守，因为在分配责任方面存在挑战，并且传达生物能源内在的复杂性和不确定性变得越来越重要。生命周期评估在生物能源治理中的出现尤其重要，因为其他部门可能会过渡到类似的治理模式。生命周期评估正在被延伸，以适应复杂和广泛的政策相关问题，寻求纳入对长期可持续性有重大影响的外部因素。随着政策越来越依赖生命周期评估，这种方法所面临的压力变得越来越明显，也越来越大。对能源政策，特别是生物能源的影响是巨大的。
Bioenergy is increasingly used to help meet greenhouse gas (GHG) and renewable energy targets. However, bioenergy’s sustainability has been questioned, resulting in increasing use of life cycle assessment (LCA). Bioenergy systems are global and complex, and market forces can result in significant changes, relevant to LCA and policy. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the complexities associated with LCA, with particular focus on bioenergy and associated policy development, so that its use can more effectively inform policymakers. The review is based on the results from a series of workshops focused on bioenergy life cycle assessment. Expert submissions were compiled and categorized within the first two workshops. Over 100 issues emerged. Accounting for redundancies and close similarities in the list, this reduced to around 60 challenges, many of which are deeply interrelated. Some of these issues were then explored further at a policy-facing workshop in London, UK. The authors applied a rigorous approach to categorize the challenges identified to be at the intersection of biofuels/bioenergy LCA and policy. The credibility of LCA is core to its use in policy. Even LCAs that comply with ISO standards and policy and regulatory instruments leave a great deal of scope for interpretation and flexibility. Within the bioenergy sector, this has led to frustration and at times a lack of obvious direction. This paper identifies the main challenge clusters: overarching issues, application and practice and value and ethical judgments. Many of these are reflective of the transition from application of LCA to assess individual products or systems to the wider approach that is becoming more common. Uncertainty in impact assessment strongly influences planning and compliance due to challenges in assigning accountability, and communicating the inherent complexity and uncertainty within bioenergy is becoming of greater importance. The emergence of LCA in bioenergy governance is particularly significant because other sectors are likely to transition to similar governance models. LCA is being stretched to accommodate complex and broad policy-relevant questions, seeking to incorporate externalities that have major implications for long-term sustainability. As policy increasingly relies on LCA, the strains placed on the methodology are becoming both clearer and impedimentary. The implications for energy policy, and in particular bioenergy, are large.