US wants to paint the world white to save energy

[rug]

LONDON(AFP)- US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Tuesday the Obama administration wanted to paint roofs an energy-reflecting white, as he took part in a climate change symposium in London.

The Nobel laureate in physics called for a "new revolution" in energy generation to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

But he warned there was no silver bullet for tackling climate change, and said a range of measures should be introduced, including painting flat roofs white.

Making roads and roofs a paler colour could have the equivalent effect of taking every car in the world off the road for 11 years, Chu said.

http://green.yahoo.com/news/afp/20090526/sc_afp/climatewarmingusbritainchu.html

[Orsino]

1. This will be widely derided...

...as was the suggestion to keep tires properly inflated.

[islandmkl]

2. you can already hear the rightwingers...

"...yeah, THAT will fix things...let's just keep everything dark, because that's the way we've ALWAYS done it..."

and you know, even wingnuts know a black car is a lot hotter in the sun than a white car...but hey, why let a little simple knowledge get in the way??

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. Making roads and roofs a paler colour...

So we may wind up with grey asphalt and black lines on the roads?

[Kaleva]

4. Sections of freeways are cement

and are a light gray color. The idea makes sense to me.

[ClarkUSA]

5. Chu is right. In '07, I reshingled my home in the only Energy-Star rated color Timberline carried.

At the time, you could only get the white color on special order; there was no way of finding it in any store and the roofing contractor had never had anyone order it. Now, you can buy white shingles in every Home Depot and Lowe's. The reason? Green homebuilders and homeowners have built demand for white shingled roofing. My new roof has cut summer cooling costs by about half because my home's interior temperature stays cooler much longer than it used to with grey shingles, so on most days I don't even need to turn on the air conditioner.

[Webster Green]

6. Paint roofs with solar photovoltaic collectors..

The technology is here already.