Towards a more holistic sustainability assessment framework for agro-bioenergy systems — A review

Arodudu, O; Helming, K; Wiggering, H; Voinov, A

Towards a more holistic sustainability assessment framework for agro-bioenergy systems — A review

Arodudu, O Helming, K Wiggering, H Voinov, A

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2017, 62 pp. 61 - 75
Issue Date:: 2017-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Arodudu, O	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Helming, K	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Wiggering, H	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Voinov, A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2985-4574	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2017, 62 pp. 61 - 75	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0195-9255	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/123778
dc.description.abstract	© 2016 Elsevier Inc. The use of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a sustainability assessment tool for agro-bioenergy system usually has an industrial agriculture bias. Furthermore, LCA generally has often been criticized for being a decision maker tool which may not consider decision takers perceptions. They are lacking in spatial and temporal depth, and unable to assess sufficiently some environmental impact categories such as biodiversity, land use etc. and most economic and social impact categories, e.g. food security, water security, energy security. This study explored tools, methodologies and frameworks that can be deployed individually, as well as in combination with each other for bridging these methodological gaps in application to agro-bioenergy systems. Integrating agronomic options, e.g. alternative farm power, tillage, seed sowing options, fertilizer, pesticide, irrigation into the boundaries of LCAs for agro-bioenergy systems will not only provide an alternative agro-ecological perspective to previous LCAs, but will also lead to the derivation of indicators for assessment of some social and economic impact categories. Deploying life cycle thinking approaches such as energy return on energy invested-EROEI, human appropriation of net primary production-HANPP, net greenhouse gas or carbon balance-NCB, water footprint individually and in combination with each other will also lead to further derivation of indicators suitable for assessing relevant environmental, social and economic impact categories. Also, applying spatio-temporal simulation models has a potential for improving the spatial and temporal depths of LCA analysis.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Environmental Impact Assessment Review	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.eiar.2016.07.008	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Urban & Regional Planning	en_US
dc.title	Towards a more holistic sustainability assessment framework for agro-bioenergy systems — A review	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	62	en_US
utslib.for	0501 Ecological Applications	en_US
utslib.for	1204 Engineering Design	en_US
utslib.for	1603 Demography	en_US
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	12 Built Environment and Design	en_US
utslib.for	16 Studies in Human Society	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Information, Systems and Modelling
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - PERSWADE - Centre on Persuasive Systems for Wise Adaptive Living
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	62	en_US

Abstract:

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. The use of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a sustainability assessment tool for agro-bioenergy system usually has an industrial agriculture bias. Furthermore, LCA generally has often been criticized for being a decision maker tool which may not consider decision takers perceptions. They are lacking in spatial and temporal depth, and unable to assess sufficiently some environmental impact categories such as biodiversity, land use etc. and most economic and social impact categories, e.g. food security, water security, energy security. This study explored tools, methodologies and frameworks that can be deployed individually, as well as in combination with each other for bridging these methodological gaps in application to agro-bioenergy systems. Integrating agronomic options, e.g. alternative farm power, tillage, seed sowing options, fertilizer, pesticide, irrigation into the boundaries of LCAs for agro-bioenergy systems will not only provide an alternative agro-ecological perspective to previous LCAs, but will also lead to the derivation of indicators for assessment of some social and economic impact categories. Deploying life cycle thinking approaches such as energy return on energy invested-EROEI, human appropriation of net primary production-HANPP, net greenhouse gas or carbon balance-NCB, water footprint individually and in combination with each other will also lead to further derivation of indicators suitable for assessing relevant environmental, social and economic impact categories. Also, applying spatio-temporal simulation models has a potential for improving the spatial and temporal depths of LCA analysis.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/123778