White Is the New Cool for Hot Cities

摘要

Nearly 200 years after Luke Howard identified the urban heat island effect, by which cities report higher temperatures than their rural surroundings, a new study suggests a potential solution: Paint all roofs white.rnHoward, the same man who first classified clouds, documented the effect in London in 1820. It has since been accepted that the heat island effect is largely caused by urban materials absorbing and radiating solar heat.The idea to reflect solar radiation using white paint on all urban roofs has been tossed around by environmental groups for decades, but it was recently proposed by U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu as an important tool to help society adjust to climate change.