Abstract
The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of household life cycles in Santiago, Chile, by household income level. The assessment considered scenarios associated with environmental policies. The life cycle assessment was cradle-to-grave, and the functional unit considered all the materials and energy required to meet an inhabitant’s needs for one year (1 inh/year). Using SimaPro 9.1 software, the Recipe Midpoint (H) methodology was used. The impact categories selected were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, mineral resource scarcity, and fossil resource scarcity. The inventory was carried out through the application of 300 household surveys and secondary information. The main environmental sources of households were determined to be food consumption, transport, and electricity. Food consumption is the main source, responsible for 33% of the environmental impacts on global warming, 69% on terrestrial acidification, and 29% on freshwater eutrophication. The second most crucial environmental hotspot is private transport, whose contribution to environmental impact increases as household income rises, while public transport impact increases in the opposite direction. In this sense, both positive and negative environmental effects can be generated by policies. Therefore, life-cycle environmental impacts, the synergy between policies, and households’ socio-economic characteristics must be considered in public policy planning and consumer decisions.
Highlights
Urban areas are considered the home of prosperity and development and large consumers of resources, which generate pollution, unsustainable growth, and social inequality [1]
Inventory is a fundamental stage in a life cycle assessment, especially when data are collected in the field
It could be determined that the level of household income influences environmental impacts
Summary
Urban areas are considered the home of prosperity and development and large consumers of resources, which generate pollution, unsustainable growth, and social inequality [1]. Urban areas are responsible for 75% of the planet’s resource and energy consumption and 80% of global CO2 emissions [2]. This situation will worsen, considering that today around 50% of all inhabitants live in cities [3], and estimates indicate that this number will reach 68% by 2050 [4]. There is an increasing focus on consumption as an essential driver of social metabolism [5]. It has shifted the focus to consider the requirements associated with the final sector demand, including that of households [6].
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