According to new information announced at California’s Climate Change Research Conference, if the 100 biggest cities in the world changed the colour of their roofs to white, it would slow down global warming on a massive scale. By using more light-reflecting materials on roofs, such as concrete instead of asphalt, a huge amount of sunlight would be reflected back into space, rather than absorbed into our atmosphere.
California has been onto this for a few years now – since 2005, flat commercial buildings needed to have white roofs, and next year it will extend its scope to heat reflective surfaces on all roofs – whether flat, sloped, commercial, or residential. This is an interesting development, so spread the word about white roofs, and keep your eye on Google Earth to see how quickly the cities will catch on.
