Our newest report, “Harnessing Nature,” recalls that in 2011, while much of the country was experiencing major flooding, the worst drought and heatwave in memory was hitting much of the southern plains and Southwest, including parts of Texas that saw over 100 days of 100+ temperatures. And other areas are likely to have similar experiences in the future– a panel of scientists recently took a look at the trends in weather and have predicted that there is a greater than 90 percent chance that the “length, frequency and/or intensity” of heat waves will increase over the course of this century.
So what can people do to help offset the negative impacts to their daily lives brought about by these extreme temperatures? One solution is to replace heat-absorbing, black roofs with a green roof or a vegetative layer grown on a rooftop. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists the immediate and significant benefits that come from installing a green roof as: reduced energy use, reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, improved human health and comfort, enhanced storm water management and water quality, and improved quality of life.
The initial cost of installing a green roof is higher than a conventional roof, but it pays off in the long run. Studies have shown that on hot days, green roofs are cooler than the surrounding air temperatures, while conventional roofs can be up to 90 degrees F hotter. To put it in dollars and cents a University of Michigan study found that the savings for a 21,000 square-foot roof over its lifetime amounted to around $200,000 with nearly two thirds of those savings coming from reduced energy needs.
To learn more about green roofs and their benefits check out the EPA’s website.
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