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4 Conclusions

Technological progress in the field of energy is driven primarily by cost and
carbon, but it is important not to lose sight of the broader goals of sustainable
development. This means evaluating a broad range of issues simultaneously,
spanning the three “pillars” of environment, economy, and society; these
might range from carbon footprint to ecotoxicity, capital and levelized costs,
human health impacts, employment provision and public support, among
many others. In all cases it is important to take a life cycle approach in order
to ensure that information being used to make decisions is holistic and does
not ignore important impacts or simply shift problems from one part of the
life cycle to another.
To achieve this, a variety of approaches exist in various stages of devel-
opment. The key components of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA)
are environmental LCA, life cycle costing and social life cycle assessment, the
latter of which in particular is evolving rapidly. As LCSA improves to meet
the demands of policymakers, industry and society in general, there is an
opportunity for true interdisciplinary work, drawing on expertise from eco-
nomics, engineering, toxicology, climate policy, and all of the social
sciences.
Sustainable development is an aspirational goal for all of society and
energy is one of its critical enablers. Since sustainable decision-making relies
on robust, broad understanding of the systems we develop and operate, the
role of LCSA is more important than ever.

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