Global Warming Solution of the Day

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Obama's green guru calls for white roofs: President Obama's energy adviser has suggested all the world's roofs should be painted white as part of efforts to slow global warming.

I'm hoping that this was a throw away idea in a brainstorming session 'cause if he was serious...

Just what percentage of the planet is covered by roofs, roads, and sidewalks? Perhaps my sense of proportion is a bit off but I always thought not much. How much of that is already shaded by trees? One of the nice things about dark road surfaces and roof tops in the higher latitudes is that they get warmed up and thawed out faster in the winter. How are we supposed to compensate for that lost heat during the winter?

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