Reduce the greenhouse effect by white

If white replaces dark colors on roofs, sidewalks, roads of the world's 100 largest cities, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 44 billion tons.

According to experts at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Center (USA), this number is larger than the greenhouse gas emissions that all human beings emit in a year. The above measures also reduce the rate of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) increase, which accounts for about 75% of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

Photo: fsec.edu.

The reason why white reduces the warming of the climate is simple: white reflects the sun more than black and dark colors. Hashem Akbari, a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Center, explained that a white 10 m square roof could reduce 1 ton of CO ₂ . In countries with hot and humid climates, white roofs also help reduce up to 20% of air-conditioning costs in hot months.

Worldwide, roofs account for about 25% of most cities, while sidewalks account for about 35%. Even if the emissions emitted by the industry are not reduced at present, white covering of roofs and sidewalks can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that mankind has emitted for 10 years.

Economically, scientists estimate that white roofs and roads can reduce hundreds of billions of dollars each year for efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. In addition to reducing the greenhouse effect and the cost of using air conditioners, white roofs and roads also provide a third benefit: they can reduce the temperature of the atmosphere by several degrees Celsius. This will Significantly reduces smog.