Applying Bayesian Inference to the Analysis of a Comparative LCA

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of Bayesian inference to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practitioners and researchers. There are many available methods to analyze LCA data, a Bayesian approach allows the assessment to be made in the presence of uncertainty given the available data. It allows a true estimate of the underlying parameters of interest like central tendency and precision. The concepts will be presented relative to common methods of analysis in LCA as well as to more traditional statistical methods like null hypothesis significance testing (NHST). The comparison will be carried out with a simple, but relevant comparative assessment.