Parking Lots And Climate Change

Even seemingly benign land uses may contribute to global climate change, perhaps more than the carbon dioxide, the leading suspect.

1 minute read

February 5, 2004, 9:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"Do massive asphalt and concrete 'urban heat islands' like Houston or Atlanta really help ratchet up the global thermostat? What about huge tracts of farmland like those that span the Midwest?... [A] growing number of atmospheric scientists taking a hard look at parking lots? Because, they say, land-use changes have at least as much, and perhaps even greater, impact on climate change than CO2. It's a radical idea that has heated up the scientific community and is prompting a wider look at the forces behind climate change. The effect on public policy could be enormous."

Thanks to Dan Houston

FULL STORY: A parking lot effect?

Thursday, February 5, 2004 in The Christian Science Monitor

Environment United States

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