The Outlook
July 2008

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W e l c o m e

This month we invite you to give us your feedback!  In partnership with the Blandin Foundation, Dovetail has set up a short reader's survey - please let us know what you think!

Also this month, we offer a new commentary in response to a reader's questions about life cycle assessments, and a new report about the status of forest-based carbon credits in Asia.

Enjoy!

- Jeff   

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I n   T h i s   I s s u e:

Take our Reader's Survey!

C o m m e n t a r y   a n d   R e a d e r   R e s p o n s e:

Life Cycle Assessment – Is Its Potential Being Overstated?

R e p o r t s:

Trends in Forest-Based Carbon Sequestration in Asia
Implications for the United States

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D o v e t a i l    C o m m e n t a r y   a n d   R e a d e r   R e s p o n s e:

More Dovetail Commentaries are available online.

Life Cycle Assessment – Is Its Potential Being Overstated?

Dr. Jim Bowyer

This past month Dovetail received a letter from a reader who conveyed a view that the potential benefits of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in green building design may be overstated.   He said, in part:

“. . . while I think that developing LCA research is important (and I work with an architecture firm that seeks this information from our product reps) I think it is starting to become overstated what it can actually accomplish.  The qualifiers of ‘scientific' and ‘3rd party certification' have a certain uncritical acceptance that I am uncomfortable with.   They do not convey the muddy mess that implementing LCA analyses in a built project can actually become.   LCA analyses add much more complexity and dependence on software whose ‘determinations' depend on formulations largely too numerous and difficult to understand by those that would actually use it to select between materials.  I think the term ‘soft science' may be more appropriate because subjective decisions are the majority when it comes to the summary weightings between the different categories of environmental impacts.  And what does it mean that the Vinyl Institute, the Portland Cement Institute and other industry representatives are listed as supporters of Athena LCA software?  Is this a science recognized from a third party?”

Given the possibility that others have similar questions regarding LCA, this commentary addresses the letter-writer's comments and shares a few additional observations.    

For the complete article:

http://www.dovetailinc.org/DovetailComm0708.html

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D o v e t a i l   R e p o r t s

All reports are available online.

Trends in Forest-Based Carbon Sequestration in Asia
Implications for the United States

Jeff Bowyer

As Americans consider the role of forests in climate mitigation and possible mechanisms for rewarding forest-related carbon sequestration, it makes sense to look at how other nations and regions are proceeding with forest carbon sequestration programs.   This article focuses on such programs in Asia, a region that may someday serve as a major source of forest-based carbon credits for American buyers.

While only a few Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) projects have been initiated in Asia to date, a number of recent developments may contribute to a much greater role for the region in the near future. These developments include increasing government support for forest-based projects in many Asian countries, improvements in standards and carbon accounting for forest projects, and building momentum to include forest conservation projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).   Several initiatives in emissions trading may also offer increased markets for forest-based credits.

The United States could play an important role in driving demand for forest-based credits, both in the short and long term. If the US joins the regulated carbon market, it is expected to quickly surpass Europe in carbon trades as its key industries become regulated.   With the US seemingly more open to forest-based credits than Europe, U.S. involvement could offer a huge boost in demand for such credits.   However, many issues need to be resolved to clearly define the role of forest-based carbon credits in global emissions trading.  

http://www.dovetailinc.org/reports/pdf/DovetailCarbonAsia0708hu.pdf

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