Obama's Energy Secretary: "Painting buildings white will CONTAIN Global Warming"
@revellanotvanella (4033)
United States
July 13, 2009 3:58pm CST
Steven Chu, the Nobel prize-winning physicist wants to make a global initiative of painting the world white. Chu claims these measures would make it possible "to cut carbon emissions by as much as taking all the world’s cars off the roads for 11 years," and "“I think with flat-type roofs you can’t even see, yes, I think you should regulate."
This idea arising from the fact that "80 per cent of the sunlight that falls on them, compared with about 20 per cent for dark ones, which is why roofs and walls in hot countries are often whitewashed."
And then we go after all the oil in the world and it wont matter because everything is WHITE!!
Will our OVERCONSUMPTION ever be curbed??
This idea arising from the fact that "80 per cent of the sunlight that falls on them, compared with about 20 per cent for dark ones, which is why roofs and walls in hot countries are often whitewashed."
And then we go after all the oil in the world and it wont matter because everything is WHITE!!
Will our OVERCONSUMPTION ever be curbed??4 responses
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
14 Jul 09
I do think that our over-consumption will be curbed but it will be because of technology advancing to help us use less energy; emissions controls, automobiles with much great gas mileage, things like that.
I don't know if painting everything white will help global warming, though. It will help to keep buildings cooler, yes, which, in turn, will help us to use less energy but, with modern advances in medicine, more people than ever are living longer, preemie babies are surviving at a much greater rate, etc. So, more people means more energy use.
So, when you put the two together, I'd say that we won't lessen or "contain" global warming, we might just be slowing it's growth a bit or keeping it at the same level as it is right now.
I saw a program last night about some kind of rocks that are known to absorb carbon dioxide and they are now researching this phenomena to see how it can be applied to the worst of the producers of carbon dioxide. It would be awesome if they can figure a way to use these rocks as "filters" in massive industries now pouring out carbon dioxide!
Let's hope we can fix things before they reach the point of no return.
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
14 Jul 09
yea thats right mentalward, there is earthy options like green roofs and I think their just beautiful--you can go to barnes and nobles and look in the architecture section there is a book (cant remember title) that has tons of pictures of green roofs at their finest, just beautiful with succulents and drought tolerant plants--beautification too, why would that not be an option? I would think painting would require lots of maintenance whereas green roofs would be more self sufficient, by the way there are cold tolerant plants that are suitable. Both would bring jobs though.
OH!! the rocks! I just read in Mother Jones (or Time?) that they found a rock in a Serbian mine that they think sounds a lot like the KRYPTONITE in Superman.
Except its white and so far proving to be harmless 
. BUT it does emit a pink-orange glow (content:sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide) when exposed to ultraviolet light, cool! In a BBC article Im told "Borosilicate glasses (Boron) are used to encapsulate processed radioactive waste, and lithium (which it contains) is used in batteries and in the pharmaceutical industry."
That's the one rock I've heard about lately, wouldn't that be cool?
. BUT it does emit a pink-orange glow (content:sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide) when exposed to ultraviolet light, cool! In a BBC article Im told "Borosilicate glasses (Boron) are used to encapsulate processed radioactive waste, and lithium (which it contains) is used in batteries and in the pharmaceutical industry."
That's the one rock I've heard about lately, wouldn't that be cool?@mentalward (14690)
• United States
14 Jul 09
True, it would, initially. I'm not sure how this would work in the tropical climate but here, in the northern hemisphere, I LOVE the idea of planting grass, flowers and bushes on rooftops! I've seen a few of them and thought they were totally awesome!
Nature can take care of the additional soil needed, just make more compost. Grass and flower seeds? I have plenty right here that I'd love to share!
The temperature, both inside and outside of the buildings with these rooftop gardens was cooler. Plus, the plants produce more oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. I think they would be a much more sensible solution than painting everything white.
@jb78000 (15139)
•
14 Jul 09
completely right. i agree with reducing energy use asap but wouldn't painting everything white require lots of energy to produce the paint? not sure about it even working at all. and anyway glasgow would look very silly if everything was white - it needs a good dark grey to be suitably miserable when it rains - need to focus on the important things here...
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
13 Jul 09
That might explain my state's (Florida) love of pastel colored buildings...never seen so many pink in my life! My house is cream but the shingles are charcoal. The next time a hurricane blows them off we'll switch to a lighter color.
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
14 Jul 09
The point behind this is that dark colors retain heat. You can walk down any road in the middle of the day and feel the heat generate from the black road. That heat stays there all day and that is why once the sun goes down, it is still hot.. That is because the "black" things and also metal and concrete that have been in the blazing sun all day and have retained all that heat, are now, being able to release the heat, which is why it stays so hot after the sun goes down.
So if they paint roofs white.. yeah, that might give it a start.. but you have to paint the dark things to make a reasonable impact. So paint the roads white. Stop building metal buildings.. things like that. Also cityies hold the heat more and longer cause there is no ventilation among all the sky scrapers and tall buildings. The heat just collects there and stays there.. it can't get out!
@clutterbug (1051)
• United States
13 Jul 09
What I would like to know is, who is going to paint the shinges of my 2 story house, because I'm not. Will you come and do it for me my friend, lol. I heard that highways would be painted white also; that's a lot of roads. By the way, where is all of the white paint going to come from?? Thanks buddy..
