Green-wash with white paint.

While the world is struggling with climate issues and as IPCC has issued its final report, underlining the severity and the need to act, there is a solution close at hand.

It is claimed, by some, that the problem is so-called "urban heat islands" - paint the cities white and shazaam the problem is solved! It is also far cheaper than all other measures.

Does it sound too good to be true? Yes, it certainly does, and when you see that the suggestion comes from Björn Lomborg, who is a well-known “sceptic” (to put it diplomatically,) you may want to take the advice with a pinch of salt.

Urban heat Islands do exist

Indeed they do, and partly due to the effect of heat absorption by dark surfaces, but that is only one explanation for the phenomenon. Heat islands have been studied for a long time, and dealing with them is part of the package to combat climate change.

Using light colours, green roofs, evaporation, shading etc. are all ways to reduce the need and energy use for cooling. The local effect on the temperature and living conditions in urban areas are important. Therefore, these measures are already included in the suggestions to mitigate the GHG.

BUT it is not THE solution, only one part of it.  So, if there was ever one thing in the Lomborg articles that was misleading, it is the comparison of cost end effect for dealing with urban heat islands and the total Kyoto package.

Contrarians, deniers and sceptics

There is a long catalogue of different attitudes to the warnings about the decline of environment and climate, and they have been given names as contrarians, deniers and sceptics, depending on what interests they act upon. Scepticism is healthy, no doubt, but there should be a limit where established facts should take over and help us to focus on the right measures rather than continuing the discussion whether or not the earth is flat.

Lomborg has a reputation of bouncing back into the debate with a technique that he has developed to perfection. That is to use selective arguments and create confusion. It would be nice if there were an easy solution to all this, but burying our heads in the sand is not a good starting point. Lomborg just offers another sand pit.