•We propose an approach for weighing indicators for multi-criteria analyses.•Data is generated using a 3-step Delphi Survey among 67 international experts.•We show the importance of using uncertainty ...analysis in multi-criteria approaches.•We test the significance of differences for 4 model farms with the SMART-Farm Tool.•We identify differences in uncertainty of sustainability performance between themes.
Many farm sustainability assessments use multi-criteria methods for aggregating indicators based on performance scores and importance weights. One of these is the SMART-Farm Tool, which measures the degree of goal achievement of farms across 327 indicators nested within 4 sustainability dimensions, 21 themes and 58 sub-themes of the FAO-SAFA Guidelines (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture). This study aims to improve the empirical foundation of the SMART-Farm Tool by (i) evaluating the uncertainty of indicator weights obtained via expert opinion and (ii) integrating this uncertainty into SMART assessment results. An adapted Delphi process was implemented, involving a group of 67 experts from 21 countries divided into thematic and regional sub-groups. Experts within each sub-group rated the importance of indicators of all 58 SAFA sub-themes, and self-assessed their own competence. Contrary to expectations, the uncertainty in expert opinions was relatively high for environmental indicator weights (although lowest for animal welfare), being comparable to social and governance indicators. Considerable uncertainty remained in indicator weights, even after two rounds of discussion and exchange of views. This is attributed to regional variation and inherent system complexity (i.e. experts having legitimate but diverging viewpoints based on contradictory evidence) rather than scientific ignorance (i.e. a lack of research evidence). Nevertheless, it is expected that the levels of uncertainty could be reduced by limiting the number of indicators to be evaluated and thus by allowing for more in-depth discussions among the experts. Monte Carlo Simulations were used to translate residual indicator weight uncertainty into SMART assessment results at the farm level for four example farms from both developed and developing countries. The resulting comparisons revealed several cases where substantial apparent differences between farms in sustainability scores for a specific sub-theme (up to 23%) were not statistically significant, while in other cases differences of 5% were significant. This emphasizes the general importance of considering uncertainty in multi-criteria assessment tools, with clear implications real-world applications, such as product certification, labelling and marketing. Finally, this study provides important methodological suggestions for implementing expert-based assessments in multi-criteria assessments efficiently.
•A novel methodology for evaluating EGS project performance with overall influencing factors.•The influencing factors encompass geological, technological, economic, and environmental parameters.•The ...proposed weighting system emphasizes the importance of chosen criteria in the decision-making process.•The approach is applicable for assessment and comparison of different end-usage options and projects.
When considering geothermal project development, the complex assignment of aggregating and quantifying the influencing factors and their interactions is an inevitable task that enables comprehensive assessment of the geothermal energy utilization from many different aspects. The main purpose of the scientific work is a revised set of criteria for comprehensive evaluation of geothermal project focusing on Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and considering the geological settings, technology, economic and financial aspects of project development, and societal and environmental parameters. The newly presented work is conceived as an addition to the previous work, defining and thoroughly describing twenty-eight influencing factors for evaluation of deep geothermal energy. The mentioned factors consist of 18 newly introduced criteria, 6 replaced criteria, and 4 modified criteria which are based on the extensive literature review and expertise integrating all aspects of EGS project development. One of the key findings of the presented methodology is that it provides broad assessment of an EGS project, applicable to different end-uses including only electricity generation, only heat production and combined heat and power production. The proposed methodology could serve as a preparatory guideline for more detailed analysis and calculations for a future project development, either greenfield or brownfield, encompassing technological, geological, economic, and environmental aspects. The methodology was tested in case study where two different geothermal sites were assessed for heat production and electricity production scenarios. Both sites, with their main geological parameters, resulted in production of electricity, from 263.51 GWh up to 927.69 GWh, and heat production from 334.25 GWh up to 5,207.68 GWh. Such increase of renewable energy production from geothermal source derived the avoidance of CO2 emissions ranging from 79,686 tonnes of CO2-eq up to 1,241,542 tonnes of CO2-eq. The final grades of each criterion for the heat and electricity production scenarios resulted in favor of Site 2, where better reservoir and economic performance values derived the higher final grade of site’s overall performance. The summarized results lead to a conclusion that the proposed methodology is applicable for assessment of different end-usage options for one geothermal site and for comparison of projects at different geothermal sites.
•We propose a System of Systems (SOS) approach for energy sustainability evaluation.•We develop a new SOS-based sustainability indicator, Relative Aggregate Footprint (RAF).•RAF integrates four ...resource use efficiency criteria: carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint and cost.•RAF values show that not all renewables are resource-use-efficient (e.g., biofuels).•Geothermal and onshore wind have the lowest; and coal, oil and biofuels have the highest RAF scores.
Renewable energies are emerging across the globe in an attempt to slow down global warming and to improve national energy security in face of the depleting fossil fuel reserves. However, the general policy of mandating the replacement of fossil fuels with the so-called “green” energies may not be as effective and environmental-friendly as previously thought, due to the secondary impacts of renewable energies on different natural resources. Thus, an integrated systems analysis framework is essential to selecting optimal energy sources that address global warming and energy security issues with minimal unintended consequences and undesired secondary impacts on valuable natural resources. This paper proposes a system of systems (SoS) framework to determine the relative aggregate footprint (RAF) of energy supply alternatives with respect to different sustainability criteria and uncertain performance values. Based on the proposed method, the RAF scores of a range of renewable and nonrenewable energy alternatives are determined using their previously reported performance values under four sustainability criteria, namely carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint, and cost of energy production. These criteria represent environmental efficiency, water use efficiency, land use efficiency, and economic efficiency, respectively. The study results suggest that geothermal energy and biomass energy from miscanthus are the most and least resource-use efficient energy alternatives based on the performance data available in the literature. In addition, despite their lower carbon footprints, some renewable energy sources are less promising than non-renewable energy sources from a SoS perspective that considers the trade-offs between the greenhouse gas emissions of energies and their effects on water, ecosystem, and economic resources. Robustness analysis suggests that with respect to the existing performance values and uncertainties in the literature, solar thermal and hydropower have the most and least level of RAF robustness, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that geothermal energy and ethanol from sugarcane, have the lowest and highest RAF sensitivity to resource availability, respectively.
This paper introduces a participatory Multi-Criteria Assessment (MCA) methodology developed through the Resilience Increasing Strategies for Coasts – Toolkit (RISC-KIT) project and implemented in ...nine case studies in Europe. The purpose of the MCA was to bridge the disciplinary divide between engineering sciences and social sciences, facilitate the communication and dissemination of local coastal risk assessments and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures' evaluation to a broad range of actors. The process addressed the importance of integrating scientific knowledge with stakeholders’ knowledge to understand and assess the possible social, political and economic implications of different DRR measures, which could foster or hinder successful implementation. The paper discusses the methodological aspects and implementation of the approach which included visualizing risk reduction of DRR measures using paper-based cards to support interaction and negotiation among participants to select preferred strategic alternatives (SA), and a participatory MCA where stakeholders evaluated the SA against three (self-weighted) criteria: feasibility, acceptability and sustainability.
•The article introduces an interactive and participatory Multi-Criteria Assessment to assess DRR measures.•The Multi-Criteria Assessment is tested in 9 coastal cities in Europe.•Results highlight challenges and benefits of integrating engineering and social sciences in DRR.•The methodology highlights the importance of stakeholder selection and participation in DRR.
Legume-supported cropping systems affect environmental, production, and economic impacts. In Europe, legume production is still marginal with grain legumes covering less than 3% of arable land. A ...transition towards legume-supported systems could contribute to a higher level of protein self-sufficiency and lower environmental impacts of agriculture. Suitable approaches for designing legume-supported cropping systems are required that go beyond the production of prescriptive solutions. We applied the DEED framework with scientists and advisors in 17 study areas in nine European countries, enabling us to describe, explain, explore, and redesign cropping systems. The results of 31 rotation comparisons showed that legume integration decreased N fertilizer use and nitrous oxide emissions (N
2
O) in more than 90% of the comparisons with reductions ranging from 6 to 142 kg N ha
−1
and from 1 to 6 kg N
2
O ha
−1
, respectively. In over 75% of the 24 arable cropping system comparisons, rotations with legumes had lower nitrate leaching and higher protein yield per hectare. The assessment of above-ground biodiversity showed no considerable difference between crop rotations with and without legumes in most comparisons. Energy yields were lower in legume-supported systems in more than 90% of all comparisons. Feasibility and adaptation needs of legume systems were discussed in joint workshops and economic criteria were highlighted as particularly important, reflecting findings from the rotation comparisons in which 63% of the arable systems with legumes had lower standard gross margins. The DEED framework enabled us to keep close contact with the engaged research-farmer networks. Here, we demonstrate that redesigning legume-supported cropping systems through a process of close stakeholder interactions provides benefits compared to traditional methods and that a large-scale application in diverse study areas is feasible and needed to support the transition to legume-supported farming in Europe.
As one of the effective measures to cope with the continually increasing energy consumption in the building sector, BCHP (building combined heat and power) systems have been paid great attention in ...both developed and developing countries. To understand the overall benefits of a BCHP system, comprehensive assessment of system performances is necessary. In this study, a multi-criteria assessment model has been developed by combining the improved GRA (gray relation analysis) approach and the AHP (analytic hierarchy process) method. As an illustrative example, two building categories located in different climate zones in both Japan and China have been selected for analysis. In this way, the influences of climate condition, building type as well as market data on the introduction of BCHP systems have been examined. According to the simulation results, the BCHP systems in Japan achieve more benefits than that in China; and the rank of regions for the same building type may vary in different cases for both countries. In addition, the coldest region always enjoys the best overall performance, followed by the hottest zone and mild climate zones in Japan; on the other hand, the influence of climate condition on the performance of BCHP systems in China is inexplicit.
•A multi-criteria evaluation method combining AHP and GRA approach is proposed.•The influences of climate condition, building type and market data are examined.•The coldest region enjoys the best overall performance in Japan.•The influence of climate condition on system performances is inexplicit in China.
Facing the ecological and social crisis that the agrifood systems cross, a profound transformation of food systems is required, necessitating systemic and sustainable innovations. Sustainability ...assessments are generally performed to identify and/or validate the improvement in sustainability conferred by a designed artifact relative to the current or standard situation. However, they can have many other benefits in the design process. Here, we review the place, role, and conditions of use of sustainability assessment in innovation design processes in agrifood systems. By cross-referencing published findings and our own experience, we formalize a design process highlighting the place of sustainability assessment, whether design is intended for the creation of an agricultural or food artifact. We identify three types of assessment: initial diagnosis, screening between solutions at the ideation stage, and evaluation at the prototyping and development stages. We discuss ways of performing each of these assessments and highlight general key points about sustainability assessment. A first set of key points relate to criteria and indicators, a second set to the role of stakeholders, a third one to the adaptive nature of the assessment, and the last one to the uncertainty consideration. These key points provide guidance for efficient assessment in the design of innovations to increase the sustainability of agrifood systems. Thus, we demonstrate that the design process of innovations for sustainable agrifood systems requires (1) to formalize the place and mode of assessment, (2) to make use of relevant sustainability criteria and indicators, (3) to reinforce participatory practices, and (4) to adapt the assessment to the context of the designed artifact, to facilitate choices between imperfect solutions. Such an approach aims to promote innovations that meet the expectations of the system’s direct stakeholders, but also integrate the needs of invisible actors such as the environment or the well-being of populations.
•Psychophysical and psychological models produce diverging results.•Both models tend to coincide in positive ratings location.•The psychological model generates better ratings than the ...psychophysical.•Places visited by users tend to be better rated than places not visited.
In this article we compare two traditional aesthetic landscape assessment models, the psychophysical model and the psychological model. Our aim is to determine how close both theoretical frameworks are and to what extent they produce similar results, both thematically and spatially. We conduct the psychophysical model using a mapping procedure based on the use of geographic information systems, and the psychological one through a public participation geographic information system, and compare both using spatial analysis techniques. The results indicate that the two models produce divergent results, although both tend to coincide in locating positive ratings. The psychological model generates more and better ratings. Also, a correlation is revealed between the places visited by the users and the places with the best assessment. The main reason for the divergence between the two models is their different rationale. Neither model must be understood as a replacement for the other, but rather as a complement to each other, because together they generate information that cannot be provided separately.
•A model for assessing sustainable utilization of urban water resources was developed.•A multi-criteria evaluation method of catastrophe theory was used.•The sustainable utilization level of the ...water resources was divided into five levels.•Assessment results provided a basis for decision making in water resources management.
Evaluation of sustainable utilization of urban water resources is a multi-criteria comprehensive assessment system that needs judgment of decision makers in making decision. To avoid subjectivity of decision makers in the assessment, evaluation method based on catastrophe theory was introduced in this study. A model for assessing sustainable utilization of urban water resources was developed using the method of catastrophe. The model integrated multiple assessment indices of sustainable utilization of water resources according to the inherent contradictions and relative importance of indices without calculating weighs. The model was applied by evaluating the sustainable utilization levels of the water resources of Dalian, China, from 2001 to 2011. Results showed that Dalian had its strongest sustainable level of water resources in 2005 (0.7705). The comprehensive sustainable utilization level in 2002 was the lowest among the 11assessed years (0.4481). The comprehensive sustainable utilization levels of Dalian from 2001 to 2011 were above the ‘generally recognized as sustainable level’. Water resources per capita, seawater intrusion, urbanization, and per capita daily water consumption were the main factors for destroying the sustainable utilization of water resources in Dalian. Decision makers of water resources management should pay more attention to ground water management and adopt more appropriate measures to control water consumption. The model involves simple calculations and requires no index weighing, while at the same time providing a new technique for the comprehensive assessment and hierarchical management of the sustainable use of urban water resources.
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