Commentary and Discussion
The Present Status of LCA Studies on Water Use
2010 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 193-200
Details
2010 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 193-200
Water is one of the most serious problems in this century. Millions of children lose their lives because of water shortage and insufficiency of sanitary system. Water shortage causes severe damages on ecosystem and agriculture as well as human health. Water is a scarce resource in many countries, but also a very abundant resource in other parts of the world. Unlike the other resources, there is little global market that ensures a global distribution. LCA studies dealing with water consumption have been paid attention internationally, because conventional LCA does not focus on water issues. In 2009, the working group of ISO 14046 (water footprint) has been launched. The inclusion of water use in LCA will be common after ISO 14046 is released to the public. This article summarizes current activities and outlook with regard to water use in LCA.
