Should white roofs, which reflect heat, be required on all new vehicles? There is already a move to encourage white roofs in housing and commercial buildings, which can reduce summer energy use by 10 to 40 percent. Every 1,000 square feet of white roofing would offset 10 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Presumably, millions of square feet of white car roofing would offer similar results. Adding the extra white surface might also help offset the loss of reflective white polar ice due to global warming. Of course, having an all-white car would serve the same purpose but American consumers would rebel against the conformity of one color. Some vehicle makers already offer a white roof option. The white roof issue does raise an interesting question: Do black solar panels increase urban heat and, if so, how much does that offset the benefits of solar energy? Source: www.whiteroofproject.org/faq
That's hilarious. The surface area of automobiles rooftops is how much ?? Automobiles and buildings are well insulated. The "case" for white roofs is not based on sound science.
The insulation in cars roofs blocks any significant heat gain. The vast majority of heat transferred to the interior of a car comes through the windows. Low e glass minimizes that.
The argument for white surfaces is that they result in lower air conditioning requirements. Air conditioning releases heat into the environment.
It doesn't hurt to save on energy cost. We should make every building in the country have a white roof and use geothermal for climate control. Give everyone 30 days to comply. And require all vehicles to convert to natural gas....electricity ..or cooking oil and give them 6 months to comply. All shingles must be recycled for asphalt roads. All concrete must be broken up for new concrete or smashed for gravel. Etc.
Roads should be a light color...less heating and fewer animals killed from warming on dark asphalt roads.
See, you go from a simple, sane statement directly into far-left authoritarianism in a single sentence. Leave people alone. Use the tax system to help the free market along if you must, but no subsidies. The only reason electric cars are 1.9% of the total is because of government subsidies. No subsidies, no electric cars.
Ah, okay. New relevant data from a different direction: There's a palm tree disease going around Florida and the bug that carries the disease is more attracted to white cars than others. So maybe NO new vehicles should have white rooves.
And whiteflys .... a greenhouse pest.... is attracted to yellow. I live in Alabama because I hate people telling me what to do.
