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Comment on Ultra-white ceramic cools buildings with record-high 99.6% reflectivity

Would we ever be able to use a material like this to reflect a significant enough portion of the light falling on Earth to reduce the total heat imparted by sunlight in a meaningful way? Could we use this as defacto ice caps to perhaps reduce global temperatures in any real way?

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kautau@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Probably yeah, but more likely it would have to be atmospheric and not surface based. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 it was estimated that the global temp dropped about 0.5 degrees C over the ensuing year due to the ash cloud blocking the sun

pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1997/fs113-97/

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- BlueBockser@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  So the actual solution to climate change is to light everything on fire so the smoke cover cools down earth
  
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  - kelseybcool@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Ah, the Dinosaurs solution.
    
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intensely_human@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The only feasible plan we have for increasing the albedo of the planet overall is atmospheric engineering. Basically you can make a reflective cloud that’s millions of square miles in area, many orders of magnitude more cheaply than any other kind of structure.

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trackindakraken@lemmy.whynotdrs.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Covering our roofs with it would certainly make a difference. BUT, it works in the winter too, cooling the house when we want it warm. So, that might be a problem for the comfort of the building.

Personally, I’m waiting for a commercial product, because my NM house has a large, south-facing stucco wall that is currently white, but not ultra cool white. Given my experience with the house, which is well insulated, I expect I could paint the house with such paint and not need any other cooling, even when it hits 100+F here. That wall is my bedroom wall, and I can feel the heat pushing through it in the late afternoon after a full day of exposure to the sun.

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- Pulptastic@midwest.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  In winter my roof is covered with snow. White roofing would absorb less heat from the snow but that may be a good thing, reduce melting.
  
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- doggle@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Could throw some tarps over it, but that’d be difficult and expensive
  
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