Quantifying Environmental Impacts

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Degree Sustainable Manufacture Mind Map on Quantifying Environmental Impacts, created by joeawilson on 29/12/2015.
joeawilson
Mind Map by joeawilson, updated more than 1 year ago
joeawilson
Created by joeawilson over 8 years ago
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Resource summary

Quantifying Environmental Impacts
  1. We need to do more for the environment, using less resources
    1. Ecological Footprint
      1. A simple concept that is easy to work out - promoting individual responsibitly
        1. Does not account for resource depletion, uneven resource distribution, increasing population or industrial impact
        2. Carbon Footprint
          1. An open bracket term meaning and working the same as ecological impact but also embodies green house gas emissions
          2. Green House Gas Emissions
            1. A Greenhouse gas is a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation
              1. Water Vapour is the highest contributor to the greenhouse gas effect at roughly 36 - 72%, with carbon dioxide in second at 9 - 26%
                1. Global Warming potential is a unit that is known for each gas, and can be converted to carbon dioxide equivalent for easy comparison
                2. Sustainablilty Reporting
                  1. From 2013, UK requires reporting of GHG emissions by LSE-listed companies
                    1. Allows greater transparency via single, consistent standard and provides information enabling companies to reduce long term costs, including energy
                    2. Life Cycle Assessment
                      1. Goal is to assess impacts associated with the production, distribution, use, and disposal of a product
                        1. Determine objective of study - Define system boundaries - Develop flowchart - Select appropriate functional unit - Select impact categories - Select level of detail - Complete life cycle inventory - Interpret results
                          1. Embodied resources - the idea of having embodied energy, embodied carbon and embodied water within processes, products and materials stems from LCA
                            1. Can take a very long time and can be both complex and costly - the lifecycle flowchart helps more quickly determine envirnmental impact at a more basic level
                            2. Global Climate Initiatives
                              1. 1997 Kyoto agreement - international envirnmental treaty with the goal of stabilization of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level deemed safer than current levels - didn't wotk out too well
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