Jun 14 2009
The Solution to Global Warming: White Roofs
Sip On This! According to Energy Secretary Steven Chu (which i didn’t even know existed) global warming could be slowed by a low-tech idea that won’t have anything to do with those huge solar panels or coal plants: white roofs.
“Making roofs white “changes the reflectivity . . . of the Earth, so the sunlight comes in, it’s reflected back into space,” Chu said. “This is something very simple that we can do immediately,”
“Climate scientists say that the reflective properties of the color white, if applied on enough of the world’s rooftops, might actually be a brake on global warming.”
“Dark roofs absorb and hold more than 80 percent of solar energy, while white ones can reflect 75 percent of it away. That makes a white-roofed building cooler and cheaper to air-condition.”
“California has since 2005 required most flat-roofed buildings to have white tops, and Walmart has installed them on about 75 percent of its U.S. stores. In January, the District will require new flat roofs on commercial buildings to be covered in vegetation or a reflective material.”
This is some crazy stuff right here. I tell you what…..even if this idea never comes into play on a scale to make an impact, i suggest you do it to your house anyway so your house can be cooler and you can save on your electricity bill.
