This column originally appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on July 11, 2023. All of us suffered last week through day after day of the hottest average temperatures ever recorded on Earth. Now imagine it had been 10% hotter where you live.
Also white (but high emissivity) paint. Painting every dark urban and suburban surface white would reduce total radiative forcing somewhere around a watt.
White paint gets covered with grime and turns dark. It also flakes off and degrades into microplastics and toxic crud. Either way it requires ongoing maintenance and regular repainting.
Leaves, otoh, are self-healing and 100% biodegradable.
Sure, if you have to paint something anyway, you may as well use reflective paint. But wherever you can put a tree you should.
Also white (but high emissivity) paint. Painting every dark urban and suburban surface white would reduce total radiative forcing somewhere around a watt.
White paint gets covered with grime and turns dark. It also flakes off and degrades into microplastics and toxic crud. Either way it requires ongoing maintenance and regular repainting.
Leaves, otoh, are self-healing and 100% biodegradable.
Sure, if you have to paint something anyway, you may as well use reflective paint. But wherever you can put a tree you should.