A global consensus life cycle impact assessment method - GLAM: impacts on ecosystem quality
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, vol. 31
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to report and document the models integrated into the ecosystem quality part of the first life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) version of the GLAM (Global Guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment Indicators and Methods) project. The focus is on endpoint models, and all included models provide characterization factors related to the loss of species richness, indicated in potentially disappeared fraction of species (PDF·yr). In the scoping phase eight impact categories have been identified as being of relevance and provided recent methodological developments that were mature enough to be included in the consensus model within GLAM. These include ecotoxicity, land use, water consumption, eutrophication (individually for marine and freshwater ecosystems), aquatic microplastic pollution, terrestrial acidification and climate change (individual models for terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems). Apart from harmonizing and developing these models, aspects of vulnerability have been included by further developing and applying the global extinction probability (GEP) concept. The eight impact categories provide in total more than 500 000 characterization factors (CFs) at country and global scale for the GLAM research version 1.1.2025.11, representing potential global species loss. Five of the impact categories (land use, water consumption, marine and freshwater eutrophication and terrestrial acidification) provide values at country levels as well as global averages. The other three (ecotoxicity, climate change and aquatic microplastics pollution) provide global CFs only. Climate change and marine eutrophication provide average CFs only, terrestrial acidification only marginal while all the others provide average and marginal CFs. The covered impact categories for the first time consistently represent potential global species losses in terms of PDF.
Authors 26
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Francesca Verones corresponding
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Affiliation as printed
Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, Trondheim, 7491, Norway
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Leiden University · Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Hague, The Netherlands
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CIRAIG · Polytechnique Montréal
Affiliation as printed
CIRAIG, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, 3333 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, H3V 1A2, Canada
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CIRAIG · Polytechnique Montréal · Technical University of Munich
Affiliation as printed
CIRAIG, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, 3333 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, H3V 1A2, Canada
Technical University of Munich (TUM), TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Chair for Circular Economy, Am Essigberg 3, D-94315, Straubing, Germany
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Université Paris Sciences et Lettres · Agroscope · Centre Observation, Impacts, Énergie · École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris
Affiliation as printed
Centre of Observations, Impacts, Energy, MINES Paris Tech, PSL University, Sophia Antipolis, Paris, France
LCA Research Group, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, 8046, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
PRé Sustainability B.V., Stationsplein 121, Amersfoort, 3818 LE, The Netherlands
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CIRAIG · Polytechnique Montréal
Affiliation as printed
CIRAIG, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, 3333 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, H3V 1A2, Canada
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Université de Montpellier · Institut Agro Montpellier · Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement · Technologies & méthodes pour les agricultures de demain
Affiliation as printed
ITAP, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
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École de Technologie Supérieure
Affiliation as printed
École de technologie supérieure, Montréal, Québec, H3C 1K3, Canada
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Affiliation as printed
Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, Trondheim, 7491, Norway
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Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Affiliation as printed
PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Hague, The Netherlands
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Affiliation as printed
Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, 7491, Norway
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Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Sustainability in Biosystems, Caldes de Montbuí, Barcelona, Spain
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Technical University of Denmark
Affiliation as printed
Section for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
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ETH Zurich · Institute of Environmental Engineering
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8039, Switzerland
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Radboud University Nijmegen · National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
Affiliation as printed
Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
RIVM, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, 3720 BA, The Netherlands
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ETH Zurich · Institute of Environmental Engineering
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8039, Switzerland
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CIRAIG · Polytechnique Montréal
Affiliation as printed
CIRAIG, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, 3333 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, H3V 1A2, Canada
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
LCA Research Group, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, 8046, Switzerland
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Université de Montpellier · Institut Agro Montpellier · ETH Zurich · Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement · Technologies & méthodes pour les agricultures de demain · Institute of Environmental Engineering
Affiliation as printed
ITAP, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8039, Switzerland
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Technical University of Denmark
Affiliation as printed
Section for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Affiliation as printed
Peruvian LCA & Industrial Ecology Network (PELCAN), Department of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Av. Universitaria 1801, San Miguel, Lima, 15088, Peru
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Affiliation as printed
Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, Trondheim, 7491, Norway
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