Uncertainty analysis

Roberta Salomone

Chapter 178 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, 2026, pp 669-672 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: When performing a Life Cycle Assessment study, uncertainty is a critical issue because the “analysis is susceptible to a number of variables that could compromise the result's reliability”. Therefore, uncertainty needs to be taken into consideration and needs to be properly analyzed to ensure reproducible and accurate results. Many uncertainties are associated with both the Life Cycle Inventory and the Life Cycle Impact Assessment phases, as well as both the attributional and consequential approaches. These imply that different types of uncertainties emerge in LCA and that different methods to handle these uncertainties are needed. However, even if various methods for assessing and quantifying uncertainty in LCA are available in literature, the lack of time, funding, and knowledge still hinder the massive inclusion of uncertainty analysis and uncertainty considerations in LCA studies.

Keywords: Sensitivity analysis; Qualitative assessment; Quantitative assessment; Statistical approach; Data quality management; Uncertainties (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035309887
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