Chapter 7
Summary
Abstract This chapter presents a summary of conclusions, followed by reflections
and recommendations for future work. The findings of the book are summarized
as follows: (1) Environmental footprints are defined as measures of anthropogenic
pressure or impact on the planet’s environment irrespective of their precise units and
dimensions; (2) The inventory-oriented footprints (IVOFs) and impact-oriented footprints (IPOFs) that address environmental exchange (extractions and emissions) at the
inventory and impact assessment levels respectively offer two competing paradigms
for footprint indicators; (3) The framework for integration of the IPOFs provides
policy makers with a unified approach to assessing overall environmental impacts
and has a broader scope of applicability than life cycle assessment (LCA); (4) While
footprint users have learned and borrowed much from LCA, some limitations encountered suggest that LCA cannot be interpreted as a versatile tool for accounting for
all possible environmental footprints; (5) Latest science in planetary boundaries is
found to complement environmental footprints in assessing environmental sustainability that is a critical prerequisite for the economic and social pillars of sustainable
development; and (6) The sustainability gap between the converted footprint and
boundary metrics plays a central role in understanding the national performance on
individual and collective environmental issues.
Keywords Environmental footprints · Inventory-oriented footprints (IVOFs) ·
Impact-oriented footprints (IPOFs) · Life cycle assessment (LCA) · Planetary
boundaries · Reflections · Recommendations
7.1 Conclusions
Environmental footprints have now received a lot of attention from academia, the
public, organizations, and governments; however, none of the existing footprints is
able to adequately communicate all aspects of anthropogenic effects on the environment. In addition, focusing on single footprints in isolation runs the risk of shifting
the environmental burden to other footprints, as environmental issues within the
Earth system are extensively interlinked and interactive and cannot be uncoupled
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. Fang, Environmental Footprints,
SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61018-0_7
115
Summary
Abstract This chapter presents a summary of conclusions, followed by reflections
and recommendations for future work. The findings of the book are summarized
as follows: (1) Environmental footprints are defined as measures of anthropogenic
pressure or impact on the planet’s environment irrespective of their precise units and
dimensions; (2) The inventory-oriented footprints (IVOFs) and impact-oriented footprints (IPOFs) that address environmental exchange (extractions and emissions) at the
inventory and impact assessment levels respectively offer two competing paradigms
for footprint indicators; (3) The framework for integration of the IPOFs provides
policy makers with a unified approach to assessing overall environmental impacts
and has a broader scope of applicability than life cycle assessment (LCA); (4) While
footprint users have learned and borrowed much from LCA, some limitations encountered suggest that LCA cannot be interpreted as a versatile tool for accounting for
all possible environmental footprints; (5) Latest science in planetary boundaries is
found to complement environmental footprints in assessing environmental sustainability that is a critical prerequisite for the economic and social pillars of sustainable
development; and (6) The sustainability gap between the converted footprint and
boundary metrics plays a central role in understanding the national performance on
individual and collective environmental issues.
Keywords Environmental footprints · Inventory-oriented footprints (IVOFs) ·
Impact-oriented footprints (IPOFs) · Life cycle assessment (LCA) · Planetary
boundaries · Reflections · Recommendations
7.1 Conclusions
Environmental footprints have now received a lot of attention from academia, the
public, organizations, and governments; however, none of the existing footprints is
able to adequately communicate all aspects of anthropogenic effects on the environment. In addition, focusing on single footprints in isolation runs the risk of shifting
the environmental burden to other footprints, as environmental issues within the
Earth system are extensively interlinked and interactive and cannot be uncoupled
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. Fang, Environmental Footprints,
SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61018-0_7
115