Dr. Angela Druckman from the Centre for Environmental Strategy at Surrey University added a layer of complexity by showing that often the consequences of technology choices may be unpredicted and unintended and so if we are to arrive at the true carbon impacts of technology decisions we should move to consequential life cycle analyses.
She gave the classic example of the fact that in the life cycle of an ordinary porcelain toilet system the greatest resulting emissions come from the heat being continually removed from the building in the flushed out toilet water!
About Dr. Angela Druckman
Angela Druckman is Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Energy & Climate Change Mitigation at the Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey.
Angela’s current research takes a multidisciplinary, whole-systems approach, which encompasses issues on both the consumption and production sides of the economy.
On the consumption side, her research focuses on exploring the linkages between lifestyles and carbon emissions in order to inform policies aimed at moving towards a low carbon society. This includes work on the rebound effect, in which the unexpected and unintended consequences of pro-environmental actions are investigated.
Visit Angela Druckman’s professional website
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