2.3.3. Impact Assessment

The environmental performance of the different transition policy options in the Kimusu County are assessed taking into account the following environmental impact categories: (i) Global warming; (ii) Ozone formation, human health; (iii) Particulate matter formation; (iv) Terrestrial acidification; (v) Water consumption; (vi) Freshwater eutrophication; (vii) Marine eutrophication; (viii) Mineral resource scarcity; (vix) Fossil resource scarcity and (x) Land use. These are considered to reflect the most relevant/critical environmental impacts which can be associated with the combustion of solid-fuels in cookstoves. In this work, the first category is mostly associated with the combustion of fossil and biomass fuels and its effect on the emission of atmospheric pollutants with a global warming potential such as CH4, N2O, carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter. The second category is associated with the formation of ozone, which is related to processes that release NOx compounds into the environment. The third process is directly associated with atmospheric emissions from combustion processes, as referred to in the first category. The forth category is associated with the acidification of the soil due to emissions of certain nitrogen compounds such as ammonia (NH3) and NOx, which can be associated with the use of chemicals and fertilizers that cause emissions to the soil. The fifth category is related with the consumption of water consumption and availability in the ecosystems and can be associated with its incorporation in industrial processes, which can be specifically used for the production of some chemicals and other materials. The sixth and seventh categories are associated with the excessive presence of certain nutrients in water systems, due to the release of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds, respectively, which can be associated with the use of certain chemicals and fertilizers. The eighth and ninth categories are mostly associated with the extraction of raw materials from nature and the scarcity of these resources. The last category can be associated with relative

species loss due to the use of land, related to the processes of land transformation, land occupation and land relaxation.
