The Green Inc. blog reports that 53%, or $184 billion, of global stimulus spending is going to “projects and to companies that improve the efficiency of buildings, transportation and industry.” Fuel cells and energy storage systems are also big winners in the spending, according to the analysis by HSBC.
A lot of these fixes are off the shelf improvements, bringing to mind the white-roof global paint job recently suggested by Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “Climate scientists say that the reflective properties of the color white, if applied on enough of the world’s rooftops, might actually be a brake on global warming,” the Washington Post reported.
In his talk, Chu cited new research from his former laboratory, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, which imagined the result of painting about 63 percent of the roofs white in 100 large cities in tropical and temperate areas worldwide. It estimated that would provide about the same climate benefits as taking all the world’s cars off the road for 10 years.
As it turns out, a “cool roof” would also be eligible for a home weatherizing tax credit in the U.S. Add that to the $184 billion.