scholarly journals Rebuttal to ‘Indirect land use change (iLUC) within life cycle assessment (LCA) - scientific robustness and consistency with international standards’

GCB Bioenergy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Muñoz ◽  
Jannick H. Schmidt ◽  
Miguel Brandão ◽  
Bo P. Weidema
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Indirect Land Use Change

A life cycle assessment approach to quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change for beef production in eastern Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverley K. Henry ◽  
D. Butler ◽  
S. G. Wiedemann
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
New South ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Direct Land Use Change

In life cycle assessment studies, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from direct land-use change have been estimated to make a significant contribution to the global warming potential of agricultural products. However, these estimates have a high uncertainty due to the complexity of data requirements and difficulty in attribution of land-use change. This paper presents estimates of GHG emissions from direct land-use change from native woodland to grazing land for two beef production regions in eastern Australia, which were the subject of a multi-impact life cycle assessment study for premium beef production. Spatially- and temporally consistent datasets were derived for areas of forest cover and biomass carbon stocks using published remotely sensed tree-cover data and regionally applicable allometric equations consistent with Australia’s national GHG inventory report. Standard life cycle assessment methodology was used to estimate GHG emissions and removals from direct land-use change attributed to beef production. For the northern-central New South Wales region of Australia estimates ranged from a net emission of 0.03 t CO2-e ha–1 year–1 to net removal of 0.12 t CO2-e ha–1 year–1 using low and high scenarios, respectively, for sequestration in regrowing forests. For the same period (1990–2010), the study region in southern-central Queensland was estimated to have net emissions from land-use change in the range of 0.45–0.25 t CO2-e ha–1 year–1. The difference between regions reflects continuation of higher rates of deforestation in Queensland until strict regulation in 2006 whereas native vegetation protection laws were introduced earlier in New South Wales. On the basis of liveweight produced at the farm-gate, emissions from direct land-use change for 1990–2010 were comparable in magnitude to those from other on-farm sources, which were dominated by enteric methane. However, calculation of land-use change impacts for the Queensland region for a period starting 2006, gave a range from net emissions of 0.11 t CO2-e ha–1 year–1 to net removals of 0.07 t CO2-e ha–1 year–1. This study demonstrated a method for deriving spatially- and temporally consistent datasets to improve estimates for direct land-use change impacts in life cycle assessment. It identified areas of uncertainty, including rates of sequestration in woody regrowth and impacts of land-use change on soil carbon stocks in grazed woodlands, but also showed the potential for direct land-use change to represent a net sink for GHG.

scholarly journals Accounting for indirect land-use change in the life cycle assessment of biofuel supply chains

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (71) ◽  
pp. 1105-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Tarka Sanchez ◽  
Jeremy Woods ◽  
Mark Akhurst ◽  
Matthew Brander ◽  
Michael O'Hare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Indirect Land Use Change

The expansion of land used for crop production causes variable direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, and other economic, social and environmental effects. We analyse the use of life cycle analysis (LCA) for estimating the carbon intensity of biofuel production from indirect land-use change (ILUC). Two approaches are critiqued: direct, attributional life cycle analysis and consequential life cycle analysis (CLCA). A proposed hybrid ‘combined model’ of the two approaches for ILUC analysis relies on first defining the system boundary of the resulting full LCA. Choices are then made as to the modelling methodology (economic equilibrium or cause–effect), data inputs, land area analysis, carbon stock accounting and uncertainty analysis to be included. We conclude that CLCA is applicable for estimating the historic emissions from ILUC, although improvements to the hybrid approach proposed, coupled with regular updating, are required, and uncertainly values must be adequately represented; however, the scope and the depth of the expansion of the system boundaries required for CLCA remain controversial. In addition, robust prediction, monitoring and accounting frameworks for the dynamic and highly uncertain nature of future crop yields and the effectiveness of policies to reduce deforestation and encourage afforestation remain elusive. Finally, establishing compatible and comparable accounting frameworks for ILUC between the USA, the European Union, South East Asia, Africa, Brazil and other major biofuel trading blocs is urgently needed if substantial distortions between these markets, which would reduce its application in policy outcomes, are to be avoided.

Scenario uncertainties in estimating direct land-use change emissions in biomass-to-energy life cycle assessment

2012 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 240-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee E. Curtright ◽  
David R. Johnson ◽  
Henry H. Willis ◽  
Timothy Skone
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Direct Land Use Change

Land use change (LUC) analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA) of Brazilian soybean biodiesel

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1655-1673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Paulo Peçanha Esteves ◽  
Elisa Maria Mano Esteves ◽  
Davi José Bungenstab ◽  
Daniel Gomes dos Santos Wendriner Loebmann ◽  
Daniel de Castro Victoria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Soybean Biodiesel
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