Low carbon: Plan to paint rooftops white to fight global warming

Whitening the world's roofs and roads would have the same effect on global warming as removing all the world's cars for 11 years, he said.

"So I'd like to appeal to all people -- we should convert to white limousines," he said.

Chu was joking about the limousines, of course. But his proposal for addressing climate change is genuine.

It sounds kooky, but environmentalists say the idea is legit.

They say recent research shows it's even more beneficial than previously thought. Moreover the Energy Department, flush with $38 billion in stimulus money, is in a position to make it happen.

Chu's comments were based on recent research from Arthur Rosenfeld, a former colleague of Chu's at the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Chu's all cars for 11 years number is meant to be illustrative -- no one really expects all roofs and all roads will be painted white.

But for new projects and some retrofits, it does make sense.

A white roof has three benefits:

* It keeps buildings cooler, reducing the amount of energy required for air conditioning.
* It reduces the so-call "heat island" effect, the heating up of entire urban areas which then causes other buildings in the vicinity to heat up, whether they are in direct contact with the sun or not.
* A white roof or road will actually reflect the sun's rays back into space, keeping the atmosphere cooler.

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