The Power of White Roofs: Can Painting Roads Save the Planet?
Summary
In this article, we explore the idea of raising planetary albedo by coloring roads white to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change. While it may seem like a simple solution, there are many factors to consider, including the difficulty in calculating the area of paved surfaces and the need to change a significant portion of urban areas to achieve a meaningful impact.
Table of Contents
- The Inspiration: Light-Colored Roofs
- The Idea: Coloring Roads White
- The Challenge: Calculating the Area of Paved Surfaces
- The Solution: Raising Planetary Albedo
- The Impact: Reducing Carbon Emissions
- Conclusion
The Inspiration: Light-Colored Roofs
During a flight into Burbank Airport, the author noticed that most of the industrial buildings had light or white roofs. This observation led to the realization that light-colored roofs reduce the energy needed to cool the building, reduce heat getting kicked out into the atmosphere, and save carbon.
The Idea: Coloring Roads White
The author wondered if there was a way to raise the reflectivity of the surface of a city or country to fight climate change without forcing anyone to change what they were doing. The author realized that the blackest thing they could see were the roads and thought that coloring them white could raise planetary albedo and save the planet.
The Challenge: Calculating the Area of Paved Surfaces
However, the author found out that it is more complicated than that. The Federal Highway Administration only calculates the number of lanes and not the width of the roads, making it difficult to calculate the area. A researcher named Hashem Akbar has done some of the math and found that the total albedo of all the paved surfaces in the US is 0.
The Solution: Raising Planetary Albedo
With existing technology, it could be raised to 0.2 by changing 35% of every urban area, which would be 27,000 square miles. While this may seem like a small percentage, altering the albedo (reflectivity) of surfaces can result in a reduction of 8 billion tons of carbon emissions.
The Impact: Reducing Carbon Emissions
Raising planetary albedo by coloring roads white has the potential to make a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions. Not only is it a valuable solution for the environment, but it can also improve the aesthetics of roads when viewed from an airplane.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the idea of coloring roads white to fight climate change is a compelling one. While there are challenges to overcome, such as calculating the area of paved surfaces, the potential impact on reducing carbon emissions is significant. As we continue to explore solutions for climate change, we should consider the power of white roofs and roads in reducing our carbon footprint.
