We don’t have to install CO2 scrubbers or shoot billions of tons of greenhouse gases into geological formations to save the Earth from global warming. All we have to do is paint our world a pale shade of white. Perhaps all of those futurists with their crazy predictions of white space suits, white domed buildings, and sleek, white, flying cars, isn’t that far from the mark.
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu wants Americans to paint their roofs white. By doing so, he claims it “could have the equivalent effect of taking every car in the world off the road for 11 years.” The idea, here, is to reflect heat back into space.
Image from Infrastructurist.com
What's Driving This Trend
- White Roofs
- Painting roofs white to reflect heat back into space.
Who This Affects Most
- Construction
- Opportunity to incorporate white roofs as a sustainable building practice.
- Energy
- Developing technologies to maximize the cooling effects of white roofs.
- Environmental
- Promoting white roofs as a climate change mitigation strategy.
