LCA methodology as a support tool for decision makers in policy and planning for sustainable development. Case study for a Developing Country.

The paper reports research demonstrating the potential of using LCA methodology as a support tool for decision makers at various scales - from building to a national scale – through sustainable development. The case study of a developing country makes clear the urgent need for policy assessment and impact planning of the current model imposed by the industrialized world, and the advantages of pursuing an alternative sustainable model. The paper also analyzes the environmental impact of the estimated production activities (L.C.Inventory includes farm industry, construction/housing industry, transport, waste system, energy/heating production) of a nation over one year and compares the two different models mentioned above. In terms of the housing industry, for example, the sustainable model proposes redesigned adobe structures while the other offers concrete buildings (i.e. found in Tunisia). The final analyses, conducted through two different assessment methods and the software SimaPro, show how LCA results reveal the possible advantages that can be achieved, mainly in the energy and the construction industry: decreased depletion of resources, lowered impact on human health, and increased ecosystem quality. More generally, these results show the potential of integrating LCA methodology into the environmental assessment of policy and planning, such as Strategic Environmental Assessment