Enhancing the reliability of C and N accounting in economic activities : Integration of bio-geochemical cycle with Eco-LCA

The resilience of earth systems depend on delicate balance of several natural cycles and phenomena. Recently, scientists have enumerated few of the significant Earth-system processes and their boundaries which should not be transgressed in order to make human activities sustainable. It was found that we have already exceeded some of the safe operating limits, which motivates the integration of bio-geochemical cycles with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) techniques to make more sustainable decisions. The framework of Ecologically Based Life Cycle Assessment (Eco-LCA) is capable to capture the role of the bio-geochemical cycles in LCA. This article focuses on developing Carbon and Nitrogen Life Cycle Inventory by combining Eco-LCA framework with these nutrient cycle flows. It highlights the need of such comprehensive accounting and motivates the need of data collection for interaction of technical and natural systems.