Rising Urban Temperatures and Air Conditioners
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on May 23, 2014
Look at any urban street under the blazing hot July sun, and you’ll think of high daytime temperatures and unbearable heat. It’s a vicious circle. As summer approaches and temperatures rise, we crank up the AC to stay cool indoors. Our air conditioner pumps out heat exhaust, which adds to the urban heat island effect Read More…
White Roofs Seen as Part of the Solution
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on May 19, 2014
Many people head for the thermostat to cool things down indoors when it gets hot outside. The problem is, running our air conditioner only makes the problem worse by adding to the strain on an already overworked energy grid, and increasing the amount of carbon in the air. This is especially true during extreme heat Read More…
Cool Surfaces and Social Justice
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on
Heat kills more than 1,500 people in the U.S. each year – more than any type of other natural disaster. In many cities around the world, it’s not uncommon to find that people in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods are often the most vulnerable to heat. New research highlights just how vulnerable poor and minority communities Read More…
Extreme Heat Hits Northern Cities Too
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on May 9, 2014
Several recent reports have shed light on the many ways climate change is affecting our way of life, and these reports have people talking about strategies for dealing with extreme heat and the resulting health problems. We expect extreme heat events down in Atlanta, GA or Los Angeles, CA. But we’re also hearing of concerns Read More…
Cool Roofs in UAE
Posted by gcca on May 7, 2014
A recent article about the benefits of cool roofing installed at Masdar in the United Arab Emirates points out a lot of what we already know about cool roofing saving energy etc. The article is worth a read, but especially for the great photo of the researchers walking on the white roof with bare feet! Read More…