Friday, July 17th, 2009

Paint the Town White

White buildings in Santorini. By FLickr user Rennett Stowe

Replacing dark roofing and pavement with lighter, more reflective materials could reduce temperatures in cities and offset significant quantities of carbon dioxide emissions. In an article published in the journal Climatic Change, researchers estimate that replacing 100 square feet of dark colored roof with a white roof could offset about a metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions, in addition to reducing local temperatures and improving local air quality.

Hashem Akbari, lead author of the report, says that using lighter colored, more reflective roofing and pavement materials is not a silver bullet to the problem of climate change, but could buy much-needed time to make more profound changes. We'll talk with him about the idea, and his desire to have the 100 largest cities in the world paint the town white for energy savings.