Midpoints versus endpoints: The sacrifices and benefits |
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Authors: | Jane C Bare Patrick Hofstetter David W Pennington Helias A Udo de Haes |
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Institution: | (1) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 45268 Cincinnati, Ohio, USA;(2) ORISE Research Fellow, U.S. EPA, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 45268 Cincinnati, Ohio, USA;(3) Laboratory of Ecosystem Management, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland;(4) Centre of Environmental Science (CML), Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, NL-2300 Leiden, RA, Netherlands |
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Abstract: | On May 25–26, 2000 in Brighton (England), the third in a series of international workshops was held under the umbrella of
UNEP addressing issues in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). The workshop provided a forum for experts to discuss midpoint
vs. endpoint modeling. Midpoints are considered to be links in the cause-effect chain (environmental mechanism) of an impact
category, prior to the endpoints, at which characterization factors or indicators can be derived to reflect the relative importance
of emissions or extractions. Common examples of midpoint characterization factors include ozone depletion potentials, global
warming potentials, and photochemical ozone (smog) creation potentials. Recently, however, some methodologies have adopted
characterization factors at an endpoint level in the cause-effect chain for all categories of impact (e.g., human health impacts
in terms of disability adjusted life years for carcinogenicity, climate change, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone creation;
or impacts in terms of changes in biodiversity, etc.). The topics addressed at this workshop included the implications of
midpoint versus endpoint indicators with respect to uncertainty (parameter, model and scenario), transparency and the ability
to subsequently resolve trade-offs across impact categories using weighting techniques. The workshop closed with a consensus
that both midpoint and endpoint methodologies provide useful information to the decision maker, prompting the call for tools
that include both in a consistent framework. |
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Keywords: | Categories of impact cause-effect chain decision making endpoint modeling global warming potentials ISO 14042 LCA LCIA Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) midpoint modeling ozone depletion potentials photochemical ozone (smog) creation potentials |
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