Enhancement of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to include the effect of surface albedo on climate change: Comparing black and white roofs

► Traditionally LCA does not consider the effect of surface albedo on climate change. ► A time-dependent equivalence has been developed for evaluating the effect of the variation in surface albedo on climate. ► The time-dependent equivalence has been applied to the case study of a black and a white roof. ► It results that surface albedo consistently influences the environmental loads of the white roof.