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Deploy Cool Roofs

Provided by: Project Drawdown |Published on: March 7, 2023

Scientific Reports

9101112AP

Synopsis

This article details the use of cool roofs as a climate solution, reducing the use of air conditioning to cool buildings.
Students will understand how these roofs work, the advantages of implementing them as a climate solution, and some of the challenges associated with this solution.

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Subjects: Engineering

Authors: Project Drawdown

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This scientific article is a wealth of information regarding the net positives of green and cool roofs.
Despite the density of the information provided, students will find it easy to digest due to the structure of the resource and the breakdown of the information under specific subheadings.

Prerequisites

Students should understand how carbon emissions are connected to global warming and climate change.
Students should be familiar with the format of a scientific paper.

Differentiation & Implementation

Cross-curricular connections can be made in math classes that are using real-world data to complete calculations, or in language arts classes gathering evidence for argumentative writing.
Engineering and science students can use this article to support a research project or climate action project to encourage the adoption of cool roofs in their community.
As an extension, have students research buildings in their neighborhoods that may already have cool roofs. This can be done on Google Earth. If none exist, have them evaluate which buildings would most benefit from adopting a cool roof, or those that could also incorporate solar panels, solar hot water, or a rooftop garden.

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About the Partner Provider

Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “drawdown”—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Cities, universities, corporations, philanthropies, policymakers, communities, educators, activists, and more turn to Project Drawdown as they look to advance effective climate action. Project Drawdown resources for educators include the database of Drawdown Solutions, educational video series Climate Solutions 101, the Drawdown Stories initiative, and more.

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All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.

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Deploy Cool Roofs

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

About the Partner Provider

Related Teaching Resources