People in urban areas are at higher risk during heat waves, but NASA data shows how parks and green spaces are cooler than the surrounding areas.
This image shows how asphalt and concrete trap heat. The purple and red areas are surfaces that are hotter than 130℉ (54℃). Yellow areas are slightly cooler but still very hot. Some roads and sidewalks got so hot that a few seconds of skin contact could result in second degree burns.
This image shows mid-day conditions in Phoenix, AZ on June 19, 2024. It was measured by a NASA instrument called ECOSTRESS, which is aboard the @iss. Data from Landsat and Sentinel-2 helped improve the resolution so that differences can be seen across a smaller area.
Information like this can help people and communities plan ways to stay safer in the heat.
Image Descriptions:
1: Text reads “Urban Heat Seen From Space” in white at the center of the image with a yellow, red, and purple bar underneath. In the background is a map of urban heat risk in Phoenix.
2: A map of the Phoenix area, where asphalt and concrete surfaces are outlined in yellow, red, or purple lines depending on the surface temperature. Purple represents the hottest. The left side of the image is mostly purple and the right side is mostly red. Several park areas and green spaces have yellow (cooler) surface temperatures. A key at the bottom of the image correlates color to surface temperature and thermal burn risk.
3: The same map of the Phoenix area, but zoomed in over Encanto to highlight areas around green spaces, which are mostly yellow.
#Earth #NASA #Climate #Data #Heat #Science
The sustainable construction sector is shifting rapidly from incremental improvement to verified decarbonisation. New material technologies demonstrate that embodied carbon reductions no longer compromise structural or aesthetic performance. The adoption of low carbon construction materials such as advanced concretes is driving progress toward net zero whole life carbon performance, supporting the transition to genuinely sustainable building design. These innovations enable life cycle thinking in construction, where the carbon footprint of construction is assessed across supply chains and operational stages through whole life carbon assessment and robust lifecycle assessment tools.
Policy reform is reinforcing this transformation. The UK government’s ongoing review of construction product safety and environmental performance standards indicates stronger alignment between regulatory accountability and environmental sustainability in construction. Transparent environmental product declarations (EPDs) and consistent carbon reporting will underpin future requirements for sustainable building practices. This signals a move toward life cycle cost optimisation and resource efficiency in construction, advancing the shift to circular economy principles and circular economy in construction frameworks.
Global market trends add momentum. With energy security driving demand for renewable energy systems, wind-assisted shipping and floating solar are reshaping the environmental impact of construction logistics. The sector’s progress towards net zero carbon buildings depends increasingly on low carbon design, carbon neutral construction methodologies, and integration of eco-design for buildings within green infrastructure planning. As the industry adopts sustainable material specification and end-of-life reuse in construction strategies, the link between embodied carbon in materials and overall building lifecycle performance becomes measurable.
Firms slow to embed whole life carbon strategies risk losing credibility as regulation and client priorities converge around measurable sustainability outcomes. Sustainable construction now requires more than branding; it demands scientifically defensible evidence of carbon footprint reduction and adherence to circular construction strategies that support the long-term decarbonising of the built environment.
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