E E U U S S New impact categories Regionalised eco-factors: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Swiss Ecological Scarcity Method: the new version 2006

7th International Conference on EcoBalance Tsukuba, Japan, November 14, 2006

Rolf Frischknecht1, Roland Steiner1, Arthur Braunschweig2, Norbert Egli3, Gabi Hildesheimer4

1 ESU-services Ltd. 2 E2 management consulting 3 Swiss Federal Office for the Environment 4 öbu

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www.esu-services.ch 2

Overview

• The basic concept
• The extended formula
• New impact categories
• Regionalised eco-factors:

Freshwater resource assessment

• Conclusions

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The basic concept

Distance to target method:

• Actual emission situation (F)
• Politically defined environmental

targets (Fk)

• Swiss situation or international

targets signed by Switzerland (Fk)

• Sister of the JEPIX method

       

k

F F

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Goals of the update 2006

• Reflect current environmental policy
• Include additional environmental impacts
• Increase ISO-compliance
• Ensure
• practicality
• comparability among nations / regions

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The extended formula

{

{

{

flow critical : F flow current : F unit) (the point

• eco

: EP ) 2 ( 1 1 ) 1 ( 1 factor

• eco

k UBP/a) (1e12 Constant Weighting 2 ion Normalisat (optional) sation Characteri

c F F F K EP c F F F EP

k k k

⋅         ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ = ⋅ ⋅ = 3 2 1

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Features of extended formula

• Characterisation made explicit
• Normalisation flow based on actual flows

(not critical flows)

• Normalisation flow independent of flows

used in weighting factor => enables regionalisation

• identical eco-factors with new and with

existing formula in basic cases (national averages)

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Meaning and purpose of the factors

• Normalisation:
• quantifies Swiss annual contribution to

the environmental problem

• relates the scale of the environmental

problem to the Swiss scale

• Weighting:

expresses the scarcity of the environmental impact in Switzerland or any

• ther region

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New environmental impacts

Resources:

• Use of Freshwater
• Land occupation

Emissions to water:

• Endocrine disruptors
• Radionuclide emissions to the Sea

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General Layout

Result Weighting Characterisation Inventory

Swiss environmental legal targets

eco points

Primary energy Ozone depletion Climate change Biodiversity Effectiveness Estrogene potential Cancer and hereditary e. Acidification

Crude oil Uranium Wood Land occupation Fresh water Hazardous waste Nuclear waste Carbon dioxide (CO2) HCFC SO2 NMVOC I-129 N total Endocrine disruptors Heavy metals Pesticides

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Freshwater use

• Freshwater is getting increasingly scarce in more and

more world regions

• Large regional and local differences in scarcity
• Need for regionalised eco-factors
• Scarcity to be defined in relative terms
• Water pressure index:

water consumption / renewable water resources

• References
• Concept: OECD 2004: Key environmental indicators
• Data: FAO 2005: Aquastat database

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Normalisation / Characterisation

• Method applied on Swiss situation
• Freshwater use in Switzerland:

2.57 km3 per year (= normalisation flow)

• No characterisation applied

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Weighting

) 4 ( 20% A)· (Reg. resource water renew. A) (Region n consumptio water ) 3 ( A Region for flow critical A Region in flow current A) (Region Weight

2 2

        =         =

• Critical flow = medium water pressure
• Medium water pressure:

consumpion = 20% of renewable water resources

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Regional water pressure

56.3 1.5 ≥1 extreme 16.0 0.8 0.6 to <1.0 very high 6.25 0.5 0.4 to <0.6 high 2.25 0.3 0.2 to <0.4 medium 0.563 0.15 0.1 to <0.2 moderate 0.0625 0.05 <0.1 low weighting factor actual water pressure water pressure range Category

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Classification of countries

56.3 16.0 6.25 2.25 0.563 0.0625 weighting factor Israel, Jemen, Kuwait, Saudi-Arabia extreme Pakistan, Syria, Tadschikistan, Turkmenistan very high Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Tunesia high Japan, Thailand, China, Germany, Spain medium France, Greece, Mexico, USA moderate Argentina, Madagascar, Russia, Switzerland low Countries Water pressure category

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Example 1: agricultural products

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Non- irrigated Irrigation in Switzerland Irrigation in Spain Non- irrigated Irrigation in Switzerland Irrigation in Spain Asparagus Tomatoes Emission into Air Emission into Water Emission into Groundwater Emission into Soil Resources (except water) Land Use Waste (incl. radioactive) Freshwater Resources

grown in

• Switzerland
• Spain

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Example 2: material supply

applying

• low
• medium

weighting factor

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

low weighting factor for water medium weighting factor for water low weighting factor for water medium weighting factor for water low weighting factor for water medium weighting factor for water Chromium steel Glued laminated timber Recycling paper Emission into Air Emission into Water Emission into Groundwater Emission into Soil Resources (except water) Land Use Waste (incl. radioactive) Freshwater Resources

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Conclusions

• Eco-scarcity formula slightly revised
• Regional eco-factors are now possible

=> method is transferable to other regions

• Freshwater use, Land occupation, emissions
• f endocrine disruptors and radionuclides to

the Sea are now included in the assessment

• Freshwater consumption gets relevant in

agricultural production in regions with medium and higher water pressure

• Eco-factors available in EcoSpold format