Environmental impacts from human activities in the energy sector are diverse and often there are trade-offs between different energy conversion technologies. The best-known being nuclear energy, which per unit of energy produces lower GHG emissions but more nuclear waste compared to fossil fuel-fired energy systems .

Switzerland has set environmental targets for issues that are most relevant for the country. The advantage of the ecological scarcity method is that the national specificity is reflected, allowing for comparison of scenarios in the light of the Swiss context. .