Assessing Progress Towards Sustainability

Assessing Sustainability Progress: Frameworks, Tools, and Case Studies provides practical frameworks for measuring the progress toward sustainability in various areas of production, consumption, services, and urban development as they relate to environmental impact. A variety of policies/strategies or frameworks are available at national and international levels and the same stands for diverse sustainability assessment methods that may be applied based on specific data requirements providing simple or complex descriptions of sustainability status. This book presents an integrated approach to sustainability progress measurement by considering both the frameworks and methodological developments of various tools, as well as their implementation in assessing sustainability of processes, products, and services, through a global perspective.Combining methods and their application, Assessing Sustainability Progress covers a variety of topics including life cycle assessment, risk assessment, nexus thinking, and connection to the SDGs. Organized clearly into three main sections --Framworks, Tools, and Case Studies--the book can serve as a practical resource for researchers and practitioners alike in environmental science, sustainability, environmental management, and environmental engineering. Offers an integrated approach to sustainability assessment using the most up-to-date frameworks and tools Includes extensive, diverse case studies to illustrate the methods and process for using the frameworks and tools outlined Provides practical insights related to the challenges and opportunities to reduce environmental impacts and to increase resources and energy efficiency