- Whole-of-life costs (life-cycle costs) are an important proxy for total resource consumptoin
- Externalities should be quantified, values and added in to the total life-cycle cost
- BUT quantifying the and valuing externalities is exceedingly difficult
- I dont know what to do about 3 and I haven't seen any good solutions to this, yet
- CO2-e is, in my subjective view, the most important externality to control as climate change is the generates existential threat to humanity and many other life forms on Earth
In instances where externalities cannot be easily quantified and valued, basing purchasing decisions solely on whole-of-life cost will, on average, result in lower total resource consumption AND lower the effects caused by externaliities.
NOTE: in all cases, not buying something, always has the lowest whole of life costs :)
| Resources |
|---|
| land |
| buildings |
| infrastructure |
| oil |
| water |
| fertiliser |
| people |
| profits^ |
| equipment |
^ (?) => leisure = waste? * hmmm this ones a tricky one
| Externality |
|---|
| CO2-e |
| water extraction |
| land use from land fill |
| air pollution |
| destruction of biodiversity |
| waste to rivers |
| extinctions |
| water pollution |