PEAS 6040

Current approaches of solving environmental issues are often focused on the individual problem, which may result in transferring the environmental impact from one sector to the other. System thinking enables understanding the complexity of environmental issues and helps with informed decision to address these issues from a system perspective. This course aims to introduce the concept of life cycle assessment (LCA) and system thinking. The scope of the course extends to develop critical thinking for the assessment of the environmental impact of products and processes. Qualitative and quantitative analysis required to conduct life cycle assessment, major phases in LCA and analysis of multiple output processes and multifunctional product systems will be covered. Four major phases involved in LCA including “Goal and Scope”, “Inventory Compilation”, “Impact Assessment” and “Interpretation” will be examined through assignments, term project and various in-class activities.