Environmental sustainability and the integration of different methods for its assessment.
The aim of this paper is to propose a research framework, based on the joint use of three widely used methods: EMergy Evaluation (EME), Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA) and Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI), that are applied to assess the environmental sustainability of a region. The results of application of these methods to several Italian Provinces enabled us to compare their sustainability, and to test the methods with respect to sustainability requirements at local and global level. The outcomes suggest that the proposed framework provides an organic evaluation of regional systems based on key aspects, such as resources depletion, consumption patterns, waste production and absorption.
Marchettini
Nadia
N
Department of Chemical and Biosystems Sciences, University of Siena, Via della Diana, 2A, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Niccolucci
Valentina
V
Pulselli
Federico Maria
FM
Tiezzi
Enzo
E
D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008962:Models, Theoretical