Urban Greening & Cool Roofs Help Cities Address Extreme Heat
Sourced from the Natural Resources Defense Council
As temperatures soared to record highs in the US Pacific Northwest recently, the question of how to cope with a world that is hot and getting hotter grows ever more pressing. Extreme heat events are of particular concern in urban areas because of the density of buildings and roads, which absorb solar radiation and re-emit heat through the urban heat island (UHI) effect. These heat islands can experience daytime temperatures up to 4˚C warmer than rural areas and people living in such areas can suffer an increased risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality during extreme heat events, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Urgent Need for Low-Cost Climate Adaptation
Local solutions are urgently needed to address soaring temperatures that endanger people. Adaptive land cover techniques can function as low-cost measures that help communities to address numerous linked climate and health hazards. Two well-documented, low-cost strategies are urban greening, which boosts the quantity and quality of green spaces in cities, and cool roofs, which enhance the ability of rooftops to reflect incoming solar radiation instead of trapping heat.
While these adaptive landcover strategies have been implemented around the world for years, they are a topic of increasing scientific study because of their benefits for environmental conditions (including localized temperatures and air quality), human health (including potential reductions in heat-related illness), and reduced energy demand for cooling in buildings. Over the past six months, our research team undertook an extensive literature review to examine the environmental, health, and economic benefits of adaptive landcover interventions, primarily focusing on India, a country highly vulnerable to climate change. We recently presented highlights from our findings at a session during the 17th International Conference on Urban Health.
From the Living Architecture Monitor
