Life cycle assessment and environmental footprinting of sectors and products in the New Zealand economy
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Date
2024
DOI
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
© Patterson, Kim, McDonald, Grimson, McDonald, Monge 2024
Abstract
Environmental policies rewarding the efficient use of natural resources as well as limiting current levels of pollutant are both profitable alternatives and costly constraints to some of New Zealand’s major economic contributors. Hence, more emphasis is being placed on identifying the sectors that are either the most efficient users of the nation’s precious natural resources or the most polluting ones contributing to both local problems like lake eutrophication and globally to challenges such as climate change. This publication contributes to our understanding of these issues, by undertaking input-output based life cycle assessment and environmental footprinting of 32 sectors in the New Zealand economy. This covers utilisation of natural resources (energy, land, freshwater, ecosystem services) and the pollutants (nitrogen, phosphorus, greenhouse gases, wastewater, landfill wastes). In total, 335 life-cycle assessment diagrams that quantify the direct and indirect natural resources or pollutants emitted from each sector. As well as being of practical use to life-cycle assessment and footprinting practitioners, these LCA diagrams should help better visualise the indirect impacts on the environment of sectors in New Zealand economy.
Description
Report by staff at School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University, Palmerston North and Market Economics Ltd, Auckland.