LCIA

LCIA most commonly refers to Life Cycle Impact Assessment, a phase of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In LCA, LCIA evaluates the potential environmental consequences of a product system by translating the life cycle inventory results into environmental impact indicators. This step follows the inventory analysis and supports interpretation by linking quantitative data to categories of environmental concern.

Practically, LCIA involves selecting relevant impact categories (for example climate change or global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, photochemical smog, human and ecotoxicity, and resource depletion), classifying each inventory flow according to its potential effect, and applying characterization factors to translate flows into common indicators. Depending on the method, normalization and weighting may be performed to facilitate interpretation and comparison. Common LCIA methods include CML, TRACI, and ReCiPe. The LCIA phase is guided by standards such as ISO 14044, which outlines how impact assessment fits into the overall LCA framework, including goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, LCIA, and interpretation.

LCIA is used to support decision making by identifying environmental hotspots, comparing alternative products or processes, and informing design changes to reduce burdens. It is a core component of LCA practice in industry, policy, and academia, and its results depend on the chosen impact assessment method and system boundaries.

LCIA also stands for the London Court of International Arbitration, an international dispute resolution institution based in London that provides arbitration and related services under its own rules. This entity is unrelated to environmental assessment but is another common use of the acronym.