Global Cool Cities Alliance

The Global Cool Cities Alliance (GCCA) is a non-profit organization developed by a consortium of scientists and environmental leaders to promote the adoption of white roofs and white pavements globally. The Alliance is dedicated to advancing policies and actions that increase the solar reflectance of buildings and pavements as a low- or no-cost way to promote cool buildings, cool cities, and, most importantly, to mitigate the effects of climate change through global cooling.

GCCA will pursue this mission through the development of five different program areas which together are designed to ensure that a range of mechanisms, from municipal action to advancements in research and development, act in concert to accelerate the adoption of cool roofs. Specifically, GCCA will work towards the following goals:

• 100 Cool Cities: Recruit and obtain commitments from 100 major cities - “100 Cool Cities” - across the globe by 2015, with widespread installation of cool surfaces by 2020.
• Corporate Leadership: Support the voluntary adoption of cool surfaces by commercial and industrial building owners, with 20 major global corporations actively committed to cool roofs and pavement installation by 2013.
• Building Codes and Specifications: Promote the inclusion, by 2015, of cool surfaces - mainly white roofs - in the building and pavement codes of key US states and major foreign countries.
• Financial Mechanisms: Develop financial mechanisms, by 2015, that broadly support the installation of cool surfaces in the US and other key countries.
• Research and Development: Ensure that information about cool surface research, development, and demonstrations is broadly disseminated.

The Global Cool Cities Alliance was launched in the summer of 2010 and is currently working to build its programs. Already, GCCA has secured five founding city members  including Athens, Chicago, New York City, Singapore, and Taipei. 

(Over 60 percent of urban surfaces are covered by roofs or pavements. About 20 to 25 percent are roofs and 30 to 45 percent are pavements. Because these surfaces are dark and typically absorb over 80 percent of sunlight, our built environment heats cities and exacerbates the warming effects of climate change. Replacing roofs and pavements with more reflective materials could reverse this warming, turning urban surfaces into an asset instead of a burden).

Phone: (202) 550-5852

Related Resources:

• Cool Policies for Cool Cities: Best Practices for Mitigating Urban Heat Islands in North American Cities
• A Practical Guide to Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements
• Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements Toolkit