Green roofs can be effective carbon sinks. A two-year, Great Plains-based study found that shallow, lightweight, porous green roof substrate supported improved carbon capture as compared to deeper, denser substrates. Substrate moisture retention and vegetation composition-induced root biomass were also found to play key roles in carbon storage performance.
Alam, M.M. Lekhon, Lee R. Skabelund, Charles W. Rice, James S. Lin, and Jaeyoung Ha. “How effective are green roofs as building carbon sinks? Empirical evidence linking substrate, depth, and vegetation dynamics in the U.S. Great Plains.” Journal of Environmental Management 396 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128117
