Page 247 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

4.5 Impact Categories, Impact Indicators and Characterisation Factors 231

NDI: naturalness degradation indicator. 144)
A further allocation of the NDI to the most important European types of land
as suggested by Brentrup requires a larger spatial resolution than at present is
common practice in LCI. The use of geographical navigation systems will make
this possible in the future, provided the location is known (problem with generic
data). In addition such a eurocentric view excludes non-European land or natural
areas from the impact assessment. Because of these difficulties it is recommended
to accept the interpretation according to Equation 4.10 and regard an interpretation
according to Equation 4.11 only as supplementary.
Because land use can also provide improvement for individual cases considered
in an LCA (‘renaturation’) and as the sealing of areas closer to nature should be
rated worse than those, for example, of sporting grounds, the earlier status of the
land (before transformation) should ideally be known. In this case the change of
level would additionally have to be indicated. This was for the first time applied in
the eco-inventories of energy systems. 145) The problem of irreversible or reversible
transformation in contrast to temporary use or occupation of land is discussed
below.

4.5.1.6.3 Advanced Concepts Demand on natural space and land use are impor-
tant areas of research within the applied ecosystem research, landscape ecology and
protection of species (variety of species = biodiversity), but also includes practical
aspects like productivity of soils, groundwater formation, flood prevention, and so
on. Land use has become such an important topic within the LCIA that the ques-
tion arises whether this impact category should not be integrated in greater detail
into LCA than can possibly be achieved by the concept of hemerobic levels. The
scientific-academic discussion has been taking place within the expert groups of
SETAC and the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. 146) It is accompanied by a great
thoroughness of the assessment of the most important anthropogenic impacts
on the soils as far as these have not been considered in other impact categories
(e.g. ecotoxiticity by employment of pesticides). The land use special issue of the
International Journal of Life Cycle Assess 147) discusses the following impacts.
Land use impacts:
• on biodiversity: effects on the safeguard subject ‘natural environment’;
• on biotic production potential: effects on the safeguard subject ‘natural resources’;
• on ecological soil quality: effects on the safeguard subject ‘natural environment’.
It is differentiated between land occupation and transformation. Occupation cor-
responds to land use (without long-lasting changes). Transformation designates
either a permanent change, or in case of not using a changed land, the slow recov-
ery towards the original statusThis last point, in particular, requires knowledge of

144) NDI (Brentrup et al., 2002a): Naturalness degradation indicator; NDP: Naturalness degradation
potential
145) Suter and Walder (1995).
146) Lindeijer (1998), Udo de Haes et al. (1999a,b), Lindeijer et al. (2002) and Mil` a i Canals et al.
(2007a).
147) Koellner and Geyer (2013).