Estimating Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Indirect Water Use Changes

Abstract

There is recognition in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) research community that the consideration of large changes in energy and materials markets caused by wide-scale production of biofuels can cause important changes in environmental impact. As a result, the more common attributional method of life cycle inventory preparation (aimed at describing impacts for an average production system) is being replaced with a consequential approach in which the impacts for possible market changes within and outside the life cycle are investigated. Although substantial greenhouse gas generation research is focusing on changes in land use (a.k.a. indirect land use change), the possible greenhouse gas emissions from indirect changes in water use remain largely unexplored and could rival the implications of indirect land use change.