To guard against climate change, Los Angeles is painting its streets white

[rangerrebew]

To guard against climate change, Los Angeles is painting its streets white

They plan to lower the temperature by 3 degrees over the next 20 years.
By Jeremy Deaton Nexus Media Yesterday at 2:47pm


Labor Day weekend delivered record-breaking temperatures to California as a heat wave swept the state, fanning the flames of the largest wildfire Los Angeles has seen in decades. The unusually warm weather bears the mark of climate change, which is fueling record heat around the globe.

http://www.popsci.com/la-is-painting-its-streets-white-to-keep-city-cool

[Wingnut]

That's racist.

[andy58-in-nh]

Don't black streets matter? Bet your asphalt they do!

[catfish1957]

So the envirowhackos aren't taking account of all the extra VOC emissions associated  with needless painting.

You just can't make this shit up.

[Sanguine]

I wonder if it will make a measurable difference?

[catfish1957]

I wonder if it will make a measurable difference?

I wonder how many wrecks will happen because of the more reflective white surface?  Can you imagine driving into a morning/evening sun and also have to fight the reflective pavement too?

[Wingnut]

I wonder how many wrecks will happen because of the more reflective white surface?  Can you imagine driving into a morning/evening sun and also have to fight the reflective pavement too?

And it will be slicker. Tires won't grip as well on a painted surface.  More Death and Carnage on the roads.  Why the maiming of poor innocent pedestrians pushing their bundles of joy in baby strollers hit by a sliding car or bus is just more than I personally can take.  Oh THe HUMANITY.

[Suppressed]

And it will be slicker. Tires won't grip as well on a painted surface.  More Death and Carnage on the roads.  Why the maiming of poor innocent pedestrians pushing their bundles of joy in baby strollers hit by a sliding car or bus is just more than I personally can take.  Oh THe HUMANITY.

The military uses this stuff.   How do they keep planes from sliding off the runways and vehicles everywhere??

The stuff isn't white, though...it's gray.



Ridiculous article.

[Cyber Liberty]

It's because of stupid articles like this Pop Sci eliminated their comments sections from their articles.

[Smokin Joe]

So the envirowhackos aren't taking account of all the extra VOC emissions associated  with needless painting.

You just can't make this shit up.

My thoughts exactly in re: VOCs. Otherwise, they can use Latex....Oh wait, people are alergic to that (too).

[the_doc]

I wonder if it will make a measurable difference?

If LA paints all of its roadways, the difference in the city's temperature will be small but conceivably measurable in a carefully controlled experiment.  The main difference is that it will make the city look even more grimy than it already looks.

The improved reflectivity would put more IR energy back into the atmosphere--which, according to some AGW theories, would still be trapped in the atmosphere.  (By the way, the temperature of the pavement would be hot.)

[IsailedawayfromFR]

The immutable law of unintended consequences will arise, for certain.

When libs control things, all it takes is good intentions, regardless of the results.

[Sanguine]

The immutable law of unintended consequences will arise, for certain.

When libs control things, all it takes is good intentions, regardless of the results.

Probably right.

[GtHawk]

Of course none of the money wasted on this idiocy will come from the money the L.A. City Council steals from it's legal residents to coddle and curry to the illegal ones.

[Oceander]

Why not simply start replacing city streets with concrete as they need replacement?  Achieves the same result. 

[Oceander]

However, it's merely reflecting the sun light off of one surface and onto others, so it won't actually reduce the amount of solar input into the equation, won't reduce the amount of heat that is trapped by the atmosphere, and in fact with the tons of new volatiles that will be seeping out of the materials, will conceivably make things worse by increasing the greenhouse gases.

[Cyber Liberty]

However, it's merely reflecting the sun light off of one surface and onto others, so it won't actually reduce the amount of solar input into the equation, won't reduce the amount of heat that is trapped by the atmosphere, and in fact with the tons of new volatiles that will be seeping out of the materials, will conceivably make things worse by increasing the greenhouse gases.

Stop making sense.  This is California you're talking about.

[GtHawk]

Why not simply start replacing city streets with concrete as they need replacement?  Achieves the same result.

I remember when I was a kid growing up in Lynwood, Ca. the main streets were made of concrete, but many years later when I went back they were either replaced with or paved over with asphalt, I'm sure that ease of maintenance and cost were the main factors.

[Oceander]

I remember when I was a kid growing up in Lynwood, Ca. the main streets were made of concrete, but many years later when I went back they were either replaced with or paved over with asphalt, I'm sure that ease of maintenance and cost were the main factors.

Actually, it has a lot to do with how expenses are accounted for.  A concrete road is generally a better road than tarmac and lasts longer with less repair, but it's much more expensive to build so it represents a large capital expenditure upfront.  Tarmac is cheaper to build so it represents a smaller up front capital cost, even though over its lifetime it's more expensive over all because it requires a lot more maintenance and repair.  For a lot of municipalities it's easier to get the money for constant repair work every year on tarmac than it is to get the upfront capital to build concrete. 

[Cyber Liberty]

Actually, it has a lot to do with how expenses are accounted for.  A concrete road is generally a better road than tarmac and lasts longer with less repair, but it's much more expensive to build so it represents a large capital expenditure upfront.  Tarmac is cheaper to build so it represents a smaller up front capital cost, even though over its lifetime it's more expensive over all because it requires a lot more maintenance and repair.  For a lot of municipalities it's easier to get the money for constant repair work every year on tarmac than it is to get the upfront capital to build concrete.

There is anther issue.  "Rubberized" pavement is popular because it is much more quiet to the surrounding neighborhoods (about half the noise), and that stuff is blacker than black.

[Oceander]

There is anther issue.  "Rubberized" pavement is popular because it is much more quiet to the surrounding neighborhoods (about half the noise), and that stuff is blacker than black.

Macadam is also quieter than concrete on faster streets, but for most neighborhood streets I don't think the difference is really noticeable. 

[SZonian]

Good luck keeping the pavement white dumba$$es...gonna cost them a bunch more in tax dollars to clean all the dirt, oils and rubber off the roads.   

[Cyber Liberty]

Macadam is also quieter than concrete on faster streets, but for most neighborhood streets I don't think the difference is really noticeable.

We redid freeways with the Rubberized in Phoenix (Not neighborhood streets), and it was like night and day.  Or should I say day and night?

[Smokin Joe]

However, it's merely reflecting the sun light off of one surface and onto others, so it won't actually reduce the amount of solar input into the equation, won't reduce the amount of heat that is trapped by the atmosphere, and in fact with the tons of new volatiles that will be seeping out of the materials, will conceivably make things worse by increasing the greenhouse gases.

The higher albedo might reduce the heat island effect. However, I have noticed large towns on the Plains tend to have storms go around them after a really hot day, and that may be a localized effect from the pavement in town, causing air currents that disrupt the storm cell or move it off.

[Wingnut]

Red Foreman is about to talk