Life Cycle Framework 2 Flashcards
What is the difference between ecosphere and technosphere?
The technosphere can be understood as everything that is intentionally “manmade” and also
includes processes that are natural in origin, but manipulated by humans, such as photosynthesis
when part of an agricultural system.
Ecosphere: All mechanisms and processes not performed by humans, machines and/or animals
in human care.
What is the purpose of the impact assessment?
Calculation of the amount of one or more impact category indicators to express the potential environmental impacts of the investigated product system.
What is the difference between GWP and GTP?
Cumulative normalized metric (GWP) vs. instantaneous normalized metric (GTP).
Give two examples of midpoint categories.
F.e. ReCiPe impact categories.
What do you understand by the term climate change feedback
Process in which changing one quantity changes a second one and the change in the second quantity in turn changes the first
Climate feedbacks have effects on:
i. Atmospheric CO2 concentration
ii. Radiative balance
Give two examples for the climate change feedback mechanism
- Carbon cycle
- Arctic methane release (similar for subsea methane hydrates)
- Ice-albedo
- Water vapour
- Cloud formation
- Chemical weathering
What offers a higher degree of robustness? Midpoint or endpoint results?
Midpoint - Explanation (2 point)
What does it mean when the radiative forcing value of an emission is negative?
That emission leads to a cooling of the atmosphere
Name two endpoint categories.
Damage to Human Health, Damage to Ecosystems, Damage to resource availability
What does the term DALY stand for?
Disability adjusted (loss of) life years (1 point) <- The average reduction in the life expectancy of a person in a given region due to the environmental interactions of the product under
consideration.
