Using biomass to substitute fossil resources is seen as one of the sustainable ways to tackle climate change. Yet not all biomass projects can be a priori declared beneficial. A climate impact assessment, such as life cycle assessment or carbon footprint, is crucial for a science‐based policy recommendation. However, those assessments can often be incomplete, especially since many of those adopt an assumption that biogenic CO2 emissions cause no harm to the climate and do not need to be accounted. Such a simplistic “neutrality assumption” can lead to inaccurate results and thus to undesired consequences. This article synthesizes and further develops the diverse argumentation against the “neutrality assumption,” especially regarding the complexity of biomass production, differences in the timing of emission, allocation procedure, and climate change characterization methodology. Thus, the article draws a broader picture of the complex issue of biomass projects and argues for more comprehensive assessments.
Electronic shopping is getting more and more popular, and it is not only clothes and electronics that people buy online, but groceries and household products too. Based on real-life data from a major cosmetics and household products retailer in the Czech Republic, this study set to assess the life cycle environmental impact of parcel delivery. Two archetype parcels containing common household and hygiene products were designed and packed in two distinct ways, and the environmental impact was quantified using the Life Cycle Assessment method. It showed that it is environmentally beneficial to use plastic cushions to insulate the goods instead of paper. However, the most important process contributing to the environmental burden was found to be electricity consumption in the logistics center. Hence, the importance of energy efficiency and efficient space utilization was demonstrated on alternative scenarios. Since the cardboard box the goods are packed in turned out to be another important contributor, an alternative scenario was designed where a reusable plastic crate was used instead. Even though the scenario was based on several simplistic assumptions, it showed a clear potential to be environmentally beneficial. In the study, contribution of other processes was scrutinized, as well as sensitivity to variation of parameters, e.g. transportation distances. The main scientific contribution of this work is to show the importance of logistics and distribution of products to end customers in the rapidly developing field of electronic retail of household products.
Se vzrůstající závažností současných environmentálních problémů roste poptávka po nástrojích, jak měřit a zobrazovat faktory, které tyto problémy způsobují. Často využívaným způsobem prezentace vlivu člověka na životní prostředí jsou indikátory environmentální stopy. Ačkoliv se slovo "stopa" běžně využívá i v každodenním diskursu v populárních médiích, málokdy je zcela jasné, co za tímto pojmem stojí. Od devadesátých let minulého století bylo představeno mnoho studií environmentálních stop vyznačujících se často velmi odlišnými metodami a cíli. Rozdílné definice stopy jako indikátoru a různé přístupy k jejich kvantifikaci a využívání vedou ke stavu, kdy se pod stejným jménem prezentují velmi odlišné indikátory a často protichůdné závěry a doporučení. Nepochopení základních principů a metod na nichž jsou tyto studie postaveny může vést na jedné straně k nekritickému přijímání všech výsledků, na straně druhé k naprostému odmítání celého konceptu. Cílem tohoto článku je představit vývoj a základní principy u nejvýznamnějších environmentálních stop -ekologické stopy, uhlíkové stopy, vodní stopy, stopy na krajinu, materiálové stopy a dalších), a uvést základní body sporů a debat ohledně charakteru environmentálních stop a nastínit tak možnosti jejich budoucího vývoje.
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