Multi-Discipline Life Cycle Assessment Projects

A special section in Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM)

Special Section Co-Editors:

Joyce Cooper, University of Washington: cooperjs@u.washington.edu

Stig Olsen, Technical University of Denmark: sio@ipl.dtu.dk

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM) is devoted to bridging the gap between scientific research and the use of science in decision-making, regulation, and environmental management. Published by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), IEAM aims to be one of the premier scientific journals for presenting data, promoting dialogue, and fostering improved application of environmental research and lessons learned to regulatory policy and law, environmental management strategies, and sound approaches to environmental problem-solving.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is key among the research tools used by IEAM authors to assess the environmental, economic, and social impacts of industrial systems.   Advances in LCA over the last decade have included protocol standardization, changes in inventory and impact assessment data availability, the dissemination of advanced software tools and well-defined computational methods, integration of market information in analysis and in system identification, sector-focused dissemination efforts, and integration in R&D and emerging technology dissemination.  During the coming years, it is apparent that LCA practitioners must be prepared to lead or be part of multi-discipline teams: bringing discipline-focused-experts together to create systems assessments that capture key aspects of technology performance and natural systems modeling.

This continuing special IEAM section includes peer-reviewed articles describing multi-discipline projects either using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an overarching framework or in which LCA is key among a suite of tools.  Each article includes a description of team formation and synergies, project models and data flows (e.g., within and between computational models), LCA details and results (including goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation), and overall project results.

Submissions

Please submit abstracts to Joyce Cooper at  cooperjs@u.washington.edu for this special IEAM section.

Ultimately, articles are submitted as described at http://www.setacjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-static&name=ieam-author-instructions and ultimately are submitted online at http://ieam.allentrack.net/.  During the on-line process, when you get to “Submit manuscript - Step #1 of 4 (General Information),” in the last section (“Manuscript Comment”) please note that your article is intended for inclusion in the IEAM Special Section: Multi-Discipline Life Cycle Assessment Projects.

Questions or comments? Please contact Joyce Cooper (cooperjs@u.washington.edu) or Stig Olsen (sio@ipl.dtu.dk)