Black Cars Won’t Be Banned in California

After a frenzied week of mayhem in the blogosphere about a potential ban of black cars in California, the LA Times is reporting that this issue has been laid to rest by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Red flags were raised when CARB released their “Cool Cars” initiative that outlined a number of methods to reduce automotive greenhouse gas emissions. One such method was to mandate that all automotive paints had to contain a reflective coating that would reduce the amount of absorbed solar radiation. Less absorbed solar radiation would reduce the temperature inside the vehicle, requiring less use of fuel-hungry air conditioners.

The CARB report specifically stated that ‘jet black remains an issue’ because dark colors absorb far more radiation than light colors. This statement generated outrage amongst a range of right-wingers, libertarians, and probably a lot of people who just like the color black.

To placate the rising uproar, CARB said Friday that it has no plans ‘at this time’ to regulate car paint as part of a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We are by no means interested in banning or restricting car colors,” said CARB spokesman Stanley Young.

If (or when) CARB decides to place direct or indirect restrictions on automobile colors, I recommend that they use an educational awareness approach as opposed to mandatory regulations. Americans don’t respond well when they are forced into giving up a product (or color) that they hold dear - remember New Coke?

Chances are CARB would achieve a similar amount of greenhouse gas reductions through a well planned education and outreach program than they would imposing regulations. I think most people were scratching their heads trying to connect the dots when they heard about the potential black car ban - most of us had no clue that car color would have that effect. I believe that a surprising amount of the American people would respond in favor of the environment if they were presented the options as a choice and not a requirement.

Sometimes the method of delivery can make all the difference.

Stephen Boles is co-founder of Kuzuka, a marketplace website that will bring a new level of convenience and confidence to carbon offset customers. Kuzuka also provides consulting services to organizations that want to assess and reduce their corporate carbon footprint.

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