Identifying Hotspots and Avoiding Impact Displacement

This lecture introduces the concept of life cycle analysis, focusing on identifying unexpected impacts and preventing the displacement of environmental issues. Through a comparison between electric and conventional vehicles in a Quebec context, the lecture illustrates how life cycle thinking can reveal hidden impacts and help avoid environmental problems from shifting elsewhere. Various indicators such as climate change, human health, ecosystem quality, and resource depletion are analyzed to highlight the importance of considering the entire life cycle of products. The lecture also discusses the potential for impact displacement using refrigeration systems as a concrete example.