Professor Steven Chu: paint the world white to fight global warming

Times Online ^

[Sub-Driver]

Professor Steven Chu: paint the world white to fight global warming

Mark Henderson, Science Editor

The Nobel prize-winning physicist appointed by President Obama as US Energy Secretary wants to change the colour of roofs, roads and pavements so they reflect more of the Sun’s light and heat to combat global warming, he said today.

Professor Steven Chu, speaking at the opening of the St James’s Palace Nobel Laureate Symposium, for which The Times is media partner, said this simple and “completely benign” approach to “geo-engineering” could have a vast impact at low cost.

By lightening all paved surfaces and roofs to the colour of cement, it would be possible to reduce carbon emissions by as much as taking all the world’s cars off the roads for 11 years, he said.

Building regulations should insist that all flat roofs are painted white, while visible tilted roofs could be painted with “cool coloured” paints that look normal, but which absorb much less heat than conventional dark surfaces. Roads could be lightened to a concrete colour so they do not dazzle drivers in bright sunlight.

“I think with flat-type roofs you can’t even see, yes, I think you should regulate quite frankly,” Professor Chu said. “I would be in favour of that.”

Asked whether governments should be promoting white paint as a solution to climate change, he said: “Yes, absolutely? White roofs everywhere, yes.”

[ScottinVA]

And, uh... what color again is the sand on the Sahara??? How’s THAT cooling effect working out?

[ScottinVA]

“As I seem to recall from my sailor days, once you paint something, you’ll be painting it again. And again. And again. And...”

Ah! AFTER chipping the old stuff, of course. Did you have one of those commanders whose philosophy was: “the troops are happy only when they’re busy?”

[SES1066]

I agree, it is just that when some of these suggestions are made, as is this one, as a UNIVERSAL action, rather than as a considered action based upon climate and conditions, the speaker(s) open themselves up for talk-back. The United States has citizens who live in Alaska as well as in the 'Sun Belt' yet when Dr. Chu says; “Yes, absolutely? White roofs everywhere, yes.”, he does not make any qualifications, does he?

A resident of Nome, Alaska, would probably not be wise to follow this advice. There are probably large areas in the lower 48 where the net heating season is longer and more costly than the need for cooling that would also find this a bad choice.

Is it too much to ask for a Ph.D and Cabinet Secretary of Energy to consider these factors in a sit-down interview? Or is he entirely motivated by predisposition to mitigation of human-caused global warming?

[Sherman Logan]

I agree the recommendations are overstated. That said, Alaska doesn’t get much solar radiation during its heating season. The sun is down most of the time, and when it’s not it’s at a very low angle.

[snowtigger]

Actually, during our long heating season, the roofs on most buildings ARE white. Every so often, I have to shovel that D&%$ white off.

[GOP_1900AD]

Even a mild event like the Little Ice Age would kill billions. This is utter insanity.

[Yankee]

I’d like show these folks my environmentally-friendly white ass.

[Rebelbase]

If the atmosphere is a closed system wouldn’t reflecting heat from the surface displace it into the atmosphere where we don’t want it?

[Rebelbase]

“If Greenland melted down completely, 88% of the excess water produced could be contained by flooding the uninhabited Qatarra Depression in northwest Egypt,”

Desert nomads affected most.