White Rooftops Could Slow Climate Change
A new study released Tuesday concludes that if the rooftops of the world's 100 largest cities were painted white it could significantly cool the atmosphere.
"According to Hashem Akbari, a physicist with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a 1,000-square-foot roof -- the average size on an American home -- offsets 10 metric tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere if dark-colored shingles or coatings are replaced with white material.
Globally, roofs account for 25% of the surface of most cities, and pavement accounts for about 35%. If all were switched to reflective material in 100 major urban areas, it would offset 44 metric gigatons of greenhouse gases, which have been trapping heat in the atmosphere and altering the climate on a potentially dangerous scale.
That is more than all the countries on Earth emit in a single year. And, with global climate negotiators focused on limiting a rapid increase in emissions, installing cool roofs and pavements would offset more than 10 years of emissions growth, even without slashing industrial pollution."
- Login or register to post comments
- Email this page
- Seeing a Bright Side to the Architecture Meltdown - Feb 10, 2012
- Using Adaptive Reuse to Scale the Urban Future - Feb 08, 2012
- So, You Want to be a Critic? - Feb 05, 2012
- Top 8 Facadist Renovations, from Melbourne to Bucharest - Feb 04, 2012
- Bjarke Ingels' Architectural Response To 'Singularity' - Jan 16, 2012
Planetizen picks
Contribute
- Chinese Cities in Desperate Need of Competent Planning
- The Rise of Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing
- What the Feds are Doing to Connect Housing Policy to Health Policy
- Why the Politics of Climate Change Matter
- Waste Disposal Becomes Sexy
- Murky Future for Two of D.C.'s Architectural Gems
- The Story Behind One of the Most Controversial Buildings in the Country
- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
My Storm, Managing the Recovery of New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina is required reading for planners
U Penn Press
Feb 13, 2012
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
www.flickr.com
|
Info Needed On White Roofs
"a 1,000-square-foot roof -- the average size on an American home -- offsets 10 metric tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere if dark-colored shingles or coatings are replaced with white material."
Does that mean 10 metric tons a year, 10 metric tons over the life of the roof, or something else? Does anyone know? The article never makes it clear.
Charles Siegel