(Press-News.org) Imagine a world where the rooftops and pavements of every urban area are resurfaced to increase the reflection of the Sun's light rays. Well, this is exactly what a group of Canadian researchers have done in an attempt to measure the potential effects against global warming.
In a study published today, 13 April, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, researchers from Concordia University created this scenario to see what effect a global increase in surface reflectance would have on global temperature and our own carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
They estimate that increasing the reflectance – commonly known as albedo – of every urban area by 0.1 will give a CO2 offset between 130 and 150 billion tonnes. This is equivalent to taking every car in the world off the road for 50 years, assuming a single car gives off around 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
This could also provide huge financial gains: CO2 is currently traded at $25 a tonne meaning savings could be in the range of $3300 and $3800 billion dollars.
Albedo is measured on a scale ranging from 0 for a non-reflecting, perfectly black surface to 1 for a perfectly white surface. The albedo of all roofs can be increased, on average, by 0.25 and all paved surfaces can be increased by about 0.15. The researchers believe this will increase a city's overall albedo by about 0.10.
Researchers have long proposed that changing the albedo of a surface could be an effective way of reducing CO2 emissions. A change could effectively cool buildings that would usually retain heat and therefore reduce the use of air-conditioning systems; it could also improve outdoor air quality and offset the warming that the world is currently experiencing.
In this new study, the researchers showed that increasing the albedo of a 1m2 surface by 0.01 would have the same effect on global temperature, over the next 80 years, as decreasing emissions by around 7kg of CO2.
The researchers used a dataset of all global urban areas, called the Global Rural and Urban Mapping Project (GRUMP), to give a realistic estimate of the effects of a global albedo change. In addition to the very large carbon dioxide offset, the researchers calculated a potential decrease in temperature of about 0.07°C
Completely changing the surfaces of all the world's roofs and pavements seems like a mammoth task; however, the researchers believe that it is possible if promoted in the right ways.
"Typically roofs are resurfaced (or changed) about every 20-30 years; paved surfaces are resurfaced about every ten years. When roofs or paved surfaces are installed, they can be changed to materials with high solar reflectance, typically at no incremental cost," the researchers write.
Lead author Professor Hashem Akbari said: "It is all based on planning, codes and policies. If we really put the nuts and bolts in place, we can get close to 100 per cent of urban areas increasing the albedo of surfaces."
Fast facts:
Over 50% of the world's population currently lives in urban areas. This is expected to increase to 70% by 2040.
Pavements and roofs comprise over 60% of urban surfaces (25% roof and 35% pavement).
According to the GRUMP model, the combined size of global urban areas is around 2 million km2.
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From Friday 13 April, this paper can be downloaded from http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024004/article
Notes to Editors
Contact
1. For further information, a full draft of the journal paper or contact with one of the researchers, contact IOP Press Officer, Michael Bishop:
Tel: 0117 930 1032
E-mail: Michael.bishop@iop.org
The long-term effect of increasing the albedo of urban areas
2. The published version of the paper 'The long-term effect of increasing the albedo of urban areas' (Hashem Akbari et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 024004) will be freely available online from INSERT DATE. It will be available at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024004/article
Environmental Research Letters
3. Environmental Research Letters is an open access journal that covers all of environmental science, providing a coherent and integrated approach including research articles, perspectives and editorials.
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4. IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide. IOP Publishing is central to the Institute of Physics (IOP), a not-for-profit society. Any financial surplus earned by IOP Publishing goes to support science through the activities of IOP.Beyond our traditional journals programme, we make high-value scientific information easily accessible through an ever-evolving portfolio of community websites, magazines, conference proceedings and a multitude of electronic services. Focused on making the most of new technologies, we're continually improving our electronic interfaces to make it easier for researchers to find exactly what they need, when they need it, in the format that suits them best. Go to http://ioppublishing.org/.
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5. The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society promoting physics and bringing physicists together for the benefit of all.
It has a worldwide membership of around 40 000 comprising physicists from all sectors, as well as those with an interest in physics. It works to advance physics research, application and education; and engages with policymakers and the public to develop awareness and understanding of physics. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in professional scientific communications. Go to www.iop.org
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