Development of an LCA method coupled with municipal budgets to effectively plan environmental impact reduction actions

Presentation of Paalo Andréa Moreno Yanez's research project

PhD candidate

“Sustainable development is a goal everyone should pursue; it is truly important to live in harmony with our Earth. I value knowledge sharing and human connection. I’ve been fascinated by sustainability since I was a child. Taking care of our planet and maintaining a lasting balance between human populations and the Earth is essential to me.”

Context

To achieve the emission and consumption reduction targets, the involvement of governments is essential, particularly for cities and municipalities. Citizens also have a role to play, and their actions can have a major impact in the fight against climate change.

The government holds a large amount of economic data on expenditures and revenues across various economic sectors, as well as environmental data, including information on greenhouse gas emissions. 

Paalo is originally from Colombia, where she earned a PhD in chemical engineering. She then worked as a professor for nearly eight years in her home country.

Passionate about knowledge transfer and teaching, Paalo decided to pursue a PhD in Civil Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke, specializing in life cycle assessment. Her strong interest in sustainability and the environment motivated her to deepen her expertise in LCA. 

The project

Paalo developed a model to estimate the environmental impacts of the City Hall’s annual expenditures, using only the municipal budget as input.

The model calculates both direct and indirect emissions from 2019 onward, following the city’s official budget classification to identify GHG sources and other environmental impacts.

It supports two types of analysis: single year, for retrospective or prospective assessments, and interannual, to track and visualize environmental trends over time.

Les objectifs

Paalo is developing a hybrid LCA-based methodology to help municipalities assess their environmental impacts through the analysis of their expenditures and annual budgets.

Within LIRIDE, Paalo continues her commitment to sustainable development by developing new methods. Her dedication to environmental causes and her expertise in life cycle assessment make her a key contributor in the search for innovative solutions toward a more sustainable future. She contributes with passion to LIRIDE’s mission to advance expertise in LCA. 

Discover the articles and publications of Paalo Andréa Moreno Yanez:

Agence Science-Presse

Approches ascendantes et descendantes en ACV : obtenir un meilleur portrait environnemental de systèmes complexes grâce à leur complémentarité

Approche par la production ou l’approche par la consommation - Quelle méthode pour mesurer les émissions de GES ?

About LIRIDE

Founded in 2013 under the direction of Professor Ben Amor, the Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory in Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Economy (LIRIDE), attached to the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sherbrooke, stands out for its cutting-edge expertise in life cycle assessment, eco-design and circular economy, mainly in the field of materials, energy and construction. LIRIDE's expertise focuses on modeling and assessing the life-cycle impacts of a product or service. LIRIDE is internationally recognized for its scientific research.