Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Research Articles

Stratospheric chlorine processing after the 2020 Australian wildfires derived from satellite data

The 2019 to 2020 Australian summer wildfires injected an amount of organic gases and particles into the stratosphere unprecedented in the satellite record since 2002, causing large unexpected changes in HCl and ClONO2. These fires provided a novel opportunity to evaluate heterogeneous reactions on organic aerosols in the context of stratospheric chlorine and ozone depletion chemistry. It has long been known that heterogeneous chlorine (Cl) activation occurs on the polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs; liquid and solid particles containing water, sulfuric acid, and in some cases nitric acid) that are found in the stratosphere, but these are only effective for ozone depletion chemistry at temperatures below about 195 K (i.e., largely in the polar regions during winter). Here, we develop an approach to quantitatively assess atmospheric evidence for these reactions using satellite data for both the polar (65 to 90°S) and the midlatitude (40 to 55°S) regions. We show that heterogeneous reactions apparently even happened at temperatures at 220 K during austral autumn on the organic aerosols present in 2020 in both regions, in contrast to earlier years. Further, increased variability in HCl was also found after the wildfires, suggesting diverse chemical properties among the 2020 aerosols. We also confirm the expectation based upon laboratory studies that heterogeneous Cl activation has a strong dependence upon water vapor partial pressure and hence atmospheric altitude, becoming much faster close to the tropopause. Our analysis improves the understanding of heterogeneous reactions that are important for stratospheric ozone chemistry under both background and wildfire conditions.

Potential stratospheric ozone depletion due to iodine injection from small satellites

Potential stratospheric ozone depletion due to iodine injection from small satellites

Stationary Waves Weaken and Delay the Near-Surface Response to Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Abstract An intermediate-complexity moist general circulation model is used to investigate the factors controlling the magnitude of the surface impact from Southern Hemisphere springtime ozone depletion. In contrast to previous idealized studies, a model with full radiation is used; furthermore, the model can be run with a varied representation of the surface, from a zonally uniform aquaplanet to a configuration with realistic stationary waves. The model captures the observed summertime positive Southern Annular Mode response to stratospheric ozone depletion. While synoptic waves dominate the long-term poleward jet shift, the initial response includes changes in planetary waves that simultaneously moderate the polar cap cooling (i.e., a negative feedback) and also constitute nearly one-half of the initial momentum flux response that shifts the jet poleward. The net effect is that stationary waves weaken the circulation response to ozone depletion in both the stratosphere and troposphere and also delay the response until summer rather than spring when ozone depletion peaks. It is also found that Antarctic surface cooling in response to ozone depletion helps to strengthen the poleward shift; however, shortwave surface effects of ozone are not critical. These surface temperature and stationary wave feedbacks are strong enough to overwhelm the previously recognized jet latitude/persistence feedback, potentially explaining why some recent comprehensive models do not exhibit a clear relationship between jet latitude/persistence and the magnitude of the response to ozone. The jet response is shown to be linear with respect to the magnitude of the imposed stratospheric perturbation, demonstrating the usefulness of interannual variability in ozone depletion for subseasonal forecasting.

14 years of lidar measurements of polar stratospheric clouds at the French Antarctic station Dumont d'Urville

Abstract. Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) play a critical role in the stratospheric ozone depletion processes. The last 30 years have seen significant improvements in our understanding of the PSC processes but PSC parametrization in global models still remains a challenge due to the necessary trade-off between the complexity of PSC microphysics and model parametrization constraints. The French Antarctic station Dumont d'Urville (DDU, 66.6∘ S, 140.0∘ E) has one of the few high latitude ground-based lidars in the Southern Hemisphere that has been monitoring PSCs for decades. This study focuses on the PSC data record during the 2007–2020 period. First, the DDU lidar record is analysed through three established classification schemes that prove to be mutually consistent: the PSC population observed above DDU is estimated to be of 30 % supercooled ternary solutions, more than 60 % nitric acid trihydrate mixtures and less than 10 % of water–ice dominated PSC. The Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization PSC detection around the station are compared to DDU PSC datasets and show a good agreement despite more water–ice PSC detection. Detailed 2015 lidar measurements are presented to highlight interesting features of PSC fields above DDU. Then, combining a temperature proxy to lidar measurements, we build a trend of PSC days per year at DDU from ERA5 (the fifth generation of European ReAnalysis) and NCEP (National Centers for Environment Protection reanalysis) reanalyses fitted on lidar measurements operated at the station. This significant 14-year trend of −4.6 PSC days per decade is consistent with recent temperature satellite measurements at high latitudes. Specific DDU lidar measurements are presented to highlight fine PSC features that are often sub-scale to global models and spaceborne measurements.

COST OF RENTING THE EARTH

For many decades scientists have been warning that life on earth will not be sustainable for long the way we treat the earth. The collusion between humans and the earth has outpaced to a degree that it no longer can be left to blind chance. Complacency in tempering with the nature at the same pace could run out of control at any time. In those circumstances, the harms outdone to the environment could be irreversible. Stratospheric ozone depletion, pollution of air and water, soil erosion, deforestation, warming of the earth, and exploitation of depletable natural resources are not sustainable at this rate of decline. Conventional economics has played a significant role in vindicating the existing state of affairs. As already implied, the mainstream economics has not only paid no head to ecological degradation but has been the principal propellant of this creed. We rarely find a textbook in economics that does not begin with factors of production as the fundamental fabric of the economy. Land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship are purported to be the core components, the base elements, the building blocks of every economy. These constituents account for the blueprint of contemporary economic systems. The refraction of this doctrine through a prism of a critical eye unlocks the sophistry concealed in this way of thinking. In conventional economics, land is detached from the earth and downgraded to a basic factor of production. It is presumed that land as a factor of production delivers a service. For this, it is paid a rent. In short, the price of the earth amounts to the market rent. Adhering to such an outlook has many implications, one of which is turning a blind eye to the anthropomorphic impacts of climate change. The cost of such a conduct is more than economic. It is existential. The failure to come to grip with this trial and failing to restore land to its due place in economic reasoning is beyond measure. This is an erroneous outlook that we shall examine critically in this paper.

Environmental assessment of a single-family photocatalytic greywater treatment system based on the design and operating conditions

A life cycle assessment was carried out to compare the environmental impacts of an alternative water supply for toilet flushing in households with those of water currently supplied for this purpose through the municipal potable water network. In the proposed system, greywater from showers, baths and wash-hand basins is collected and treated using heterogeneous TiO2 photocatalysis. Several scenarios comprising different design and operating conditions were studied. Using the ReCiPe (H) 2016 method, the following environmental impact categories were assessed: global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, human carcinogenic toxicity, human non-carcinogenic toxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, and water consumption. The results show that for the water reuse device to be less impactful than the municipal water system in at least 7 of the selected impact categories by more than 20 %, the product between the number of reactors and the operating time should not exceed 8 reactors·h·day−1, also taking the influence of the UVA-LED's power into account. Of the 18 alternative scenarios analyzed, 14 present a potential for reducing the environmental impacts compared to the municipal water supply system in at least 7 of the 11 evaluated environmental impact categories. For instance, the municipal supply of one cubic meter of water and its subsequent wastewater treatment in the baseline scenario produces 4.21 kg CO2 eq·m−3, whereas only 1.62 kg CO2 eq·m−3 are produced in the optimum scenario of the greywater reuse system. Moreover, the use of solar photovoltaic panels as a source of electricity for the systems is found to be an effective measure to further improve the environmental performance, mainly for the impact categories of global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, and terrestrial acidification. The study also highlights the benefits of recycling components and materials in the end-of-life stage of the proposed system.

Genotoxic risk assessment of solar UV radiation in tadpoles from Brazilian wetlands

Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an environmental genotoxic factor linked to amphibian decline. Here we assessed the genotoxic risk of UVB and UVA exposure for tadpoles from open ponds in southern Brazil, a mid-latitude region influenced by stratospheric ozone depletion. Daily UV doses were measured on the surface of a pond in Taim Ecological Station (TAIM; 32°49’24’’S; 52°38’31’’W) on a cloudless summer day to predict the worst-case scenario for UV-induced DNA damage. Pond descriptors were related to the use of microhabitats by Boana pulchella tadpoles in two ponds over the climate seasons of 2013 and 2014. Our results indicate that shaded microhabitats were more frequent than unshaded ones in autumn, winter, and spring but not in summer. Hence, the penetration of UV radiation into the water of unshaded microhabitats was evaluated through laboratory experiments with artificial UV sources and pond water samples. Physical and biological sensors were applied in the experiments to measure the incident UV radiation and its genotoxic action. By integrating field and laboratory data, we demonstrate that low doses of biologically effective UV radiation reached the tadpoles in autumn, winter, spring, and early summer due to a high proportion of shaded microhabitats and a high concentration of solids in unshaded microhabitats. However, the relative reduction of shaded microhabitats jointly with a declining water level in late summer may have exposed tadpoles to high UV doses. Our experiments also indicate that solar UVB radiation, but not UVA, is primarily responsible for the induction of DNA pyrimidine dimers in organisms living under the surface of aquatic ecosystems. The present work highlights the determinant role of wetland descriptors for minimizing the genotoxic potential of UV radiation and its consequences for amphibians.

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment in Organic and Conventional Rice Farming Systems: Using a Cradle to Farm Gate Approach

The rising demand for agricultural products and expanding public awareness of environmental friendliness have led to the adoption of the organic farming system rather than the conventional one. The life cycle assessment (LCA) concept is a frequently used method to examine the environmental impacts of any activity across its entire life cycle. This research is the first use of LCA for the impacts of vermicompost and cattle manure as organic fertilizers in rice farming. The main goal of this study was to compare the environmental impacts of conventional and organic rice farming. This paper uses midpoint attributional LCA to analyze environmental damages during rice production. The four primary harm categories used in this strategy to categorize the environmental effects were: (1) climate change, (2) human health, (3) ecosystem quality, and (4) resources. The inventory data for the agricultural stage were obtained through farmer interviews. The system boundaries were set to cradle to farm gate, and 1 ton of final product (dry matter) was used as the functional unit. The results show that in all main damage categories, except for particulate matter formation, stratospheric ozone depletion, mineral resource scarcity, and freshwater eutrophication, conventional rice production has higher environmental impacts than organic rice production. Overall, organic rice production is more effective in diminishing the negative environmental effects of farming compared to conventional rice production.

Potential stratospheric ozone depletion due to iodine injection from small satellites

Potential stratospheric ozone depletion due to iodine injection from small satellites

Retrieval of atmospheric CFC-11 and CFC-12 from high-resolution FTIR observations at Hefei and comparisons with other independent datasets

Abstract. Synthetic halogenated organic chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) play an important role in stratospheric ozone depletion and contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect. In this work, the mid-infrared solar spectra measured by ground-based high-resolution Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to retrieve atmospheric CFC-11 (CCl3F) and CFC-12 (CCl2F2) at Hefei, China. The CFC-11 columns observed from January 2017 to December 2020 and CFC-12 columns from September 2015 to December 2020 show a similar annual decreasing trend and seasonal cycle, with an annual rate of -0.47±0.06 % yr−1 and -0.68±0.03 % yr−1, respectively. So the decline rate of CFC-11 is significantly lower than that of CFC-12. CFC-11 total columns were higher in summer, and CFC-12 total columns were higher in summer and autumn. Both CFC-11 and CFC-12 total columns reached the lowest in spring. Further, FTIR data of NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) candidate station Hefei were compared with the ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer) satellite data, WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model) data, and the data from other NDACC-IRWG (InfraRed Working Group) stations (St. Petersburg, Jungfraujoch, and Réunion). The mean relative difference between the vertical profiles observed by FTIR and ACE-FTS is -5.6±3.3 % and 4.8±0.9 % for CFC-11 and CFC-12 for an altitude of 5.5 to 17.5 km, respectively. The results demonstrate that our FTIR data agree relatively well with the ACE-FTS satellite data. The annual decreasing rate of CFC-11 measured from ACE-FTS and calculated by WACCM is -1.15±0.22 % yr−1 and -1.68±0.18 % yr−1, respectively. The interannual decreasing rates of atmospheric CFC-11 obtained from ACE-FTS and WACCM data are higher than that from FTIR observations. Also, the annual decreasing rate of CFC-12 from ACE-FTS and WACCM is -0.85±0.15 % yr−1 and -0.81±0.05 % yr−1, respectively, close to the corresponding values from the FTIR measurements. The total columns of CFC-11 and CFC-12 at the Hefei and St. Petersburg stations are significantly higher than those at the Jungfraujoch and Réunion (Maïdo) stations, and the two values reached the maximum in local summer or autumn and the minimum in local spring or winter at the four stations. The seasonal variability at the three stations in the Northern Hemisphere is higher than that at the station in the Southern Hemisphere.

UV-B Radiation Effects on the Alpine Plant Kobresia humilis in a Qinghai-Tibet Alpine Meadow.

Enhanced UV-B radiation resulting from stratospheric ozone depletion has been documented both globally and on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. The response of Kobresia humilis, an important alpine meadow plant species, to enhanced UV-B radiation was experimentally investigated at the Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Research Station (37°29'-37°45' N, 101°12'-101°23' E; alt. 3200 m). K. humilis was exposed to UV-B radiation including ambient UV-B and enhanced UV-B (simulating a 14% reduction in the ozone layer) in a randomized design with three replications of each treatment. Enhanced UV-B radiation resulted in a significant increase of both leaf area and fresh weight chlorophyll and carotenoid but had no effect on UV-B absorbing pigments. Similarly, enhanced UV-B radiation did not significantly change the photosynthetic O2 elevation rate while leaf thickness, width, and length significantly increased (p < 0.01). The enhanced UV-B radiation was associated with 2-3 days earlier flowering and a larger number of flowers per spikelet. The enhanced UV-B generally resulted in larger leaves and more flowers but earlier phenology. In summary, these findings suggest that alpine species of K. humilis have adapted to the strong solar UV-B radiation intensity presented on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, but the interspecies differences and their influence on trophic level should be more concerning.

Climate Change, Cutaneous Disease, and the Dermatology Provider

Climate change is a public health crisis with pervasive repercussions on health. The integumentary system faces greater exposure to the external environment than any other organ system. Cutaneous disease is therefore significantly impacted by climate change-related factors. This includes but is not limited to global warming, oceanic warming, air pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, and extreme weather events, as well as secondary effects of climate change such as mass migration and overcrowding. Dermatology providers must understand the intersection of climate change and skin health in order to appropriately diagnose and manage cutaneous disease.

New Paradigm: Coal Fly Ash as the Main Cause of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

We provide further compelling evidence that aerosolized coal fly ash and its various components, especially iron, is the primary cause of stratospheric ozone depletion, not chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases, as “decreed” by the Montreal Protocol of 1989. Aerosolized coal fly ash is a toxic “witches’ brew” of numerous elements and substances that destroy ozone directly and indirectly by numerous chemical reactions, the full extent of which is not yet known. The prevailing CFC-ozone depletion theory is simply wrong, and does not account for multiple chemical and photochemical reactions that kill stratospheric ozone. We discuss the primary role of coal fly ash particles in ice nucleation and cloud formation in the upper troposphere and stratosphere, and dispel the notion that meteoric or extra-terrestrial material is responsible for polar stratospheric clouds. We provide extensive documentation that iron and several other elements found in coal fly ash are trapped in polar stratospheric clouds and destroy ozone by various means, especially when they are released in the spring. Recent scientific discoveries “fit together” to strongly support the New Paradigm of stratospheric ozone depletion by coal fly ash. The “World Not Avoided” by the Montreal Protocol is already here: The biosphere is in collapse with runaway global warming, and lethal ultraviolet radiation penetrating to Earth’s surface. This new paradigm shift must be operationalized. Time is critically short to salvage what we can of Earth’s vital life support systems, including the stratospheric ozone layer. We reiterate that all sources of aerosolized coal fly ash must be reduced and/or eliminated. All forms of geoengineering must stop immediately if we are to survive as a species. The deliberate assault on Earth’s natural processes, we allege, constitutes no less than acts of planetary treason.

Evaluation of environmental sustainability matrix of Deepgen tidal turbine

Tidal energy is a reliable, consistent and abundant source of renewable energy. However, there are many concerns with different tidal energy devices relating to their environmental impacts over the lifetime. It is essential to address these issues by assessing the environmental impacts of these technologies throughout all phases of life cycle. In this context, a cradle to grave life cycle assessment (LCA) study is performed hereby on 1 MW Deepgen tidal turbine. ReCiPe LCA method has been used to evaluate 18 different environmental impacts; i.e., global warming in 100 years horizon, stratospheric ozone depletion, ionising radiation, ozone formation (human health), fine particulate matter formation, ozone formation (terrestrial ecosystems), terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity, human non-carcinogenic toxicity, land use, mineral resource scarcity, fossil resource scarcity and water consumption. According to the findings, steel, copper and glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) carry the highest contributions across all impact categories. Steel contributes about 30%, on average, across all impact categories; copper contributes significantly to eutrophication and toxicity impacts while GFRP contributes significantly to marine eutrophication. Total global warming emission of the turbine stands at approximately 1 ktCO2 eq which establishes the turbine as a lower GHG impact carrying solution. Findings from the study will serve as a benchmark to deploy more tidal power turbines around the world.

Global Warming: A study of erratic fluctuations in land and oceanic temperature as influenced by heightening industrial activity and population growth

Tackling the global climate crisis is a daunting task. Excessive greenhouse gas emissions lead to rising temperatures and sea levels, stratospheric ozone depletion and a greater occurrence of intense, sporadic natural disasters. In order to commence the development of remedial technologies to subdue the adverse effects of global warming, it is essential to understand the range of anthropogenic and industrial activities that cause global land and oceanic temperatures to fluctuate beyond their expected statistical range. The following paper employs a myriad of machine learning algorithms in the development of deep neural networks (DNNs) that are used to forecast land and oceanic temperatures. Data input during the model’s training process, (covering an overall sample period of 28 years from 1990 - 2018), consists of sectoral carbon emission values of the top 20 contributors to the climate crisis worldwide—as well as additional correlated factors, such as population growth rate and gross domestic product (GDP) growth per capita, incorporated to create a comprehensive and versatile predictive tool. Results indicate high predictive accuracy of the model, with a low mean square error (MSE) of 0.208 and a high coefficient of determination (r²) of 98.7%, implying a high degree of explainability regarding variations in predictions.

Climate Change, Cutaneous Disease, and the Dermatology Provider

Climate change is a public health crisis with pervasive repercussions on health. The integumentary system faces greater exposure to the external environment than any other organ system. Cutaneous disease is therefore significantly impacted by climate change-related factors. This includes but is not limited to global warming, oceanic warming, air pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, and extreme weather events, as well as secondary effects of climate change such as mass migration and overcrowding. Dermatology providers must understand the intersection of climate change and skin health in order to appropriately diagnose and manage cutaneous disease.

Influence of Stratospheric Ozone Changes on Stratospheric Temperature Trends in Recent Decades

Associated with the recovery of stratospheric ozone, stratospheric cooling has decelerated since the late 1990s. This study investigates the contribution of ozone changes to the long-term stratospheric temperature trends in recent decades using satellite observations and model simulations. Observational analysis shows that total column ozone experienced little depletion in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and weak recovery in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) in the period 1998–2020. It is found that the cease of stratospheric ozone depletion has reduced the stratospheric cooling from 1998 onwards, especially in the summer hemisphere. The correlation analysis indicates that the lower-stratospheric temperature is primarily regulated by ozone changes. The ozone recovery in the SH is associated with the weak warming in the lower stratosphere in the period 1998–2020 in summer. The impact of ozone changes is further isolated in the ozone-only experiments from CMIP6. We find that ozone depletion results in significant cooling in the summer hemisphere in the period 1979–1997, especially in the upper and lower stratosphere, while ozone recovery leads to significant warming in the summer hemisphere in the period 1998–2020 in the upper stratosphere. Our results also suggest that the wave-mean flow interactions associated with stratospheric ozone variations may play an important role in regulating the strength of polar vortex in winter.

Open Letter to the International Criminal Court Alleging United Nations Complicity in Planetary Treason

We provide a preponderance of evidence that worldwide covert environmental modification (geoengineering) activities have been ongoing for several decades, citing numerous peer-reviewed scientific and medical articles and other sources in support of our allegation that such activities are causing innumerable harms to Earth’s systems. These harms include, but are not limited to, catastrophic loss of wildlife, aggravation of global warming and climate chaos; disruption of habitats; aggravation of droughts and concomitant degradation of agriculture; and depletion of stratospheric ozone, which exposes surface life to deadly solar ultraviolet radiation. In 1978 the United Nations (UN) oversaw the creation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD), a deliberately vague and deceitful international treaty that has served as a Trojan horse to provide a “legal” basis for subsequent worldwide geoengineering activities (as described herein). Since the creation of the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) in 1972, the UN and some of its other agencies, including the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the World Health Organization (WHO), has formally committed itself to the integrity of the planetary environment. We appeal to the International Criminal Court to render judgement in favor of the world’s individual citizens, whose fundamental rights have been abrogated by planetary geoengineering, as herein documented. We respectfully request the following relief from the International Criminal Court: 1) Immediate and permanent end to the ENMOD Convention; 2) Permanent global injunction on all activities undertaken under ENMOD’s authority; 3) Declassification of all documents related to ENMOD activities as well as making all such documents freely available to the world; 4) Establishment of a legal body, fashioned after the International Military Tribunal at Nuremburg, to hear evidence and render justice for planetary treason and crimes against humanity and the environment.

Infrared transmittance spectra of polar stratospheric clouds

Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are responsible for polar ozone depletion. Infrared transmittance spectra of PSCs recorded by the Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) on the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) satellite were used to determine the composition and properties of PSCs. These unique broad band infrared spectra identify PSCs as nitric acid trihydrate (NAT), supercooled ternary solutions (STS) of nitric and sulfuric acid, and ice, as expected. Quantitative modeling of these PSC spectra shows that supercooled nitric acid (SNA) is also common, i.e., “STS” with no observable sulfuric acid in their infrared spectra. ACE-FTS observations therefore classify PSCs into 4 basic spectral types, NAT, STS, SNA and ice, as well as their mixtures. As an example, this classification scheme was applied to the Antarctic for July to September 2019. The composition and particularly the phase of PSCs are critical to the understanding and detailed chemical modeling of polar stratospheric ozone depletion.

A System Thinking Normative Approach towards Integrating the Environment into Value-Added Accounting—Paving the Way from Carbon to Environmental Neutrality

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly being applied in corporate accounting. Recently, especially carbon footprinting (CF) has been adopted as ‘LCA light’ in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. According to the strategy ‘balance, reduce, substitute, compensate’, the approach is intended to provide the basis for optimization towards climate neutrality. However, two major problems arise: (1) due to the predominant focus on climate neutrality, other decisive life-cycle impact categories are often ignored, resulting in a misrecognition of potential trade-offs, and (2) LCA is not perceived as an equal method alongside cost and value-added accounting in everyday business, as it relies on a fundamentally different system understanding. In this paper, we present basic considerations for merging the business and life-cycle perspectives and introduce a novel accounting system that combines elements of traditional operational value-added accounting, process and material flow analysis as well as LCA. The method is based on an extended system thinking, a set of principles, a calculation system, and external cost factors for the impact categories climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, air pollution, eutrophication and acidification. As a scientifically robust assessment method, the presented approach is intended to be applied in everyday operations in manufacturing companies, providing a foundation for a fundamental change in industrial thought patterns on the way to the total avoidance of negative environmental impacts (i.e., environmental neutrality). Therefore, this is validated in two application examples in the German special tools industry, proving its practicability and reproducibility as well as the suitability of specifically derived indicators for the selective optimization of production systems.