A Standard is Born
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on March 27, 2015
GCCA Board Member Ronnen Levinson just announced the publication of ASTM D7897-15, ‘Standard Practice for Laboratory Soiling and Weathering of Roofing Materials to Simulate Effects of Natural Exposure on Solar Reflectance and Thermal Emittance’. This practice was developed and shepherded through ASTM by the LBNL Heat Island Group and by Concordia University, with support from Read More…
Video Explains How Reflectivity Can Change Over Time
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on March 9, 2015
GCCA Board Member and researcher at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group, Ronnen Levinson, explains how the reflectivity of cool roofing materials can change over time in this new video. He also introduces LBNL’s new California Cities Albedo Map, which estimates the reflectivity of roofs in five California cities. You can find more Read More…
Studies Draw Direct Line from Climate Change to Extreme Heat and Drought
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on March 5, 2015
A new report from the Climate Council of Australia confirms what many have long suspected – that human-caused climate change makes heat waves more certain and more extreme. 2013 was the hottest year on record in Australia, and as this report notes, the 2012 / 2013 heat waves would have been “virtually impossible” without the Read More…
Climate Change and Geoengineering
Posted by gcca on February 19, 2015
There has been a lot of press coverage of the decision by the National Academy of Science to study the feasibility and safety of large-scale geoengineering as a means to address climate change. It is hard to believe that we are at a stage where we must consider such drastic strategies. Much of the conversation Read More…
Northern Cities Run Hot and Cold
Posted by karen-smith-murphy on January 22, 2015
You wouldn’t look at a list of the 50 coldest cities in the United States and think, “boy, I bet those cities have a real urban heat island problem” – would you? But for several of the cities on this list, that’s exactly what’s going on. Albany, NY, and Des Moines, IA – both in Read More…