Energy Chief: Paint World White to Stop Warming

A colossal coat of paint could do as much to slow global warming as removing all cars from the Earth for 11 years, Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a climate change conference yesterday. Chu said painting roofs white and making roads a lighter color—which would reflect heat and reduce energy use—is one of many measures needed to usher in a "new revolution" in energy use, reports the Times of London.

"The industrial revolution was a revolution in the use of energy," Chu said. "We have to go to a different revolution that can severely decrease the amount of carbon emissions in the generation of energy." New regulations should require that all flat-top roofs be painted white, as California has legislated, Chu said.
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