'Whitewash' could slow global warming
A Peruvian scientist has called on his country to help slow the melting of Andean glaciers by daubing white paint on the rock and earth left behind by receding ice so they will absorb less heat.
Eduardo Gold, president of non-governmental organisation Glaciers of Peru, made the suggestion in a presentation Tuesday to the country's parliamentary commission on climate change.
His idea has already attracted interest from the World Bank, and is among a series of projects to counter climate change that the organisation is considering, Gold told AFP.
"Little by little the glaciers are turning brown. The brown areas and rocks absorb more heat, speeding up the process of glacial melting. Our suggestion is to recreate the original white colour and the conditions needed for recovery," Gold recently told official news agency Andina.
The phenomenon is known as "positive feedback": the more the glaciers disappear, the more earth there is to absorb radiant heat and reinforce global warming.
Gold says the paint that would be used is environmentally friendly and made from a base of lime, without chemical components.
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