Living roofs could help sequester carbon from the atmosphere, which may help arrest climate change, scientists in Michigan are reporting.
In the first study of its kind, scientists measured the capacity of extensive green roofs to absorb carbon dioxide.
Replacing roofing made from traditional materials with rooftop plant life in an urban area the size of Detroit with a population of around 1 million, would be equivalent to eradicating the carbon dioxide emitted by 10,000 mid-sized SUVs over the course of a year, the research found.
This is in addition to the other environmental benefits brought by green roofing, such as reducing heating and air conditioning needs, collecting of storm water, reducing in urban air temperatures and countering heat island effect.
The research measured carbon levels in plant and soil samples taken from 13 living roofs in Maryland and Michigan over a two year period, finding that green roofin in an urban area of around 1 million people would absorb more than 55,000 tons of carbon, a figure “similar to removing more than 10,000 mid-sized SUVs or trucks off the road a year” the article claims.
This study will be published in the 1 October issue of ACS Publictions’ Environmental Science & Technology journal.
