Example
Snow reflects more sunlight than dark ocean water. Changes in ice cover therefore affect absorbed energy.
The catch
Reflectivity alone does not describe every climate effect of changing land cover.
Related terms
Atmospheric lifetime, Carbon budget, Carbon dioxide, Climate change, Climate feedback, Climate model
In more depth
Albedo, explained.
Albedo helps explain why the Arctic is warming faster than the planet as a whole. Retreating snow and sea ice expose darker land and water, the darker surface absorbs more sunlight, and the extra heat melts more ice. That loop is one of the best understood examples of a climate feedback.
The same physics works at street level. Pale roofs and paving reflect more sunlight than dark asphalt, which can keep buildings and neighbourhoods cooler during heatwaves. Albedo also features in what the IPCC means by climate neutral, a state that counts land-surface effects alongside greenhouse gases, so a claim built on emissions alone leaves part of the climate effect of land use out of view.