Dealing with complexity – Integrating LCA, ERA and ESA to assess human impacts and benefits on the biosphere

Abstract

How we live, regardless of where this happens, impacts the biosphere and leads to chain reactions in different spheres that affect both nature and humans on a global scale: climate change, health risks, and loss of biodiversity all concur in a polycrisis condition that amplifies the state of uncertainty surrounding our future and the vulnerability of the entire ecosystem, especially since the design actions put in place do not address the cogent environmental issue systemically and holistically. With this in mind, the paper advocates for an integration of LCA, ERA and ESA, three analysis tools, to assess the totality of impacts and benefits of anthropogenic activities at different spatial and temporal scales by highlighting their strengths, limitations and critical issues, but also their objectives, survey methodologies, metrics and cause-effect pathways, critically reporting also on recent research which has attempted their combination. Article info Received: 27/10/2023; Revised: 09/11/2023; Accepted: 11/11/2023

Keywords

• life cycle assessment
• environmental risk assessment
• ecosystem services assessment
• integration
• holistic and systemic approach