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Listen to this PodcastDo the environmental and energy crises driving so many of today’s headlines actually represent a unique opportunity for revitalizing the global economy? That is the argument that Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Thomas L. Friedman advances in his latest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008). Steve Mirsky, a staff editor and writer for Scientific American and host of its Science Talk podcast, spoke with Friedman about his book in August; what follows is adapted from that conversation, which can be heard/read in full here.
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9 Comments
Add CommentBravo Tom! Bravo! We need more of this attitude and approach if America is going to help the world adapt to the changing global environment which has already begun! As it is now, greed has affected the minds and talents of many, the rich want more than those 15k tennise shoes,corporations want to chew up and spit out every company in site for global domination,the poor get stepped on by everyone so they fight amongs themselves to be the top dog,scientists each want the next amazing breakthrough and to save the planet, the humble work watch and pray that everything will be ok!Let us not forget that clean Water is a rare commodity in many countries. United Nations also must educate the people on birth control and santation etc. United Nations must enact laws to enforce co levels globally. We all need to work hard and fast to make these changes now because you know as i know if we wait till its to late......then its too late.....but we can prevail....as the planet changes we will have to adapt...for better or for worse!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGlobal warming is a farce, in the past week the phrase was changed to Global climate change since its getting colder this year. Eliminate corruption in the UN and maybe all our tax dollars that we pay to educate and provide relief to the rest of the world, might actually get in their hands. Get back to the basics this country was formed on! Read the constitution. No energy plan will be developed until our fossil fuels get to expensive, the oil producers will limit production to keep the fuel from being to cheap and increase production when the appetite resumes. Improve our school system and we have the next new innovation from a child that hasnt been screwed up by the garbage our higher education is spewing. Dont look for help from the government, the only help them self to your pocket book and strip it clean.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisClean energy from gravity can create projects worth $450 b, carry people from city to city at 360 kmph, provide urban metro transportation at 60 mph, and deliver cargo all over USA at 100 kmph: all this only with gravitational force and saving 70 to 95% of energy we are currently using , generating a million jobs and making cash profits of 30 to 40%! technology is simple too and does not need any long term fundamental research. We can stop importing 8m barrels of oil per day, and prevent 3.5 b tons of carbon emissions per day. www.atrilab.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisrajarambojji
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere is no clean energy from gravity because we cannot yet decipher gravity waves. There have been no reputable technical magazines that have published articles claiming to obtain energy from gravity; and I note that you no longer quote your patent numbers since they were identified as bogus by one of my other colleagues. Why do you persist in wasting our time?
Uhhhh.why are people still listening to anything this bloated douchebag has to say? Can we take away his Pulitzer while we're at it? I thought that prize was for people who wrote good journalism?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThomas was one of the biggest promoters of the "Free Market" over the last ten years and I have argued continuously with right wingers over the same time that there is "no such thing as a free market". Thom and the right wing prevailed in their insanity and the country is now paying the piper.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWorst regards Thom,
James L McWhirter
Thanks for bringing Tom's thoughts and ideas. I have read Tom' The World is flat and am now reading HF&C. Another great read I am about a 1/3 the way through. I am in the evironmental remediation industry www.boydel.ca where we are introducing the world to the first 1,000,000 litre per day non CO2 producing sewage treatment system, and get this stuff. But reading Tom really gets me cranked up about the complexity of the issues overall.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am one hundred percent behind his general premiss that we need to quit making Petrodictators wealthy by reducing offshore oil purchases.
I am going to be buying 10 more HF&D and give them out to our investors and other people that will hopefully be spurred to think about the issues.
Finally, should be required reading for all politicians.
Good work to Tom.
rcd
Friedman is quoted "we need to rewrite the rules around our utilities so that they are incentivized not to act like $5-all-you-can-eat electron buffets, where they get richer when you consume more electrons. Instead we should turn them into partners for energy efficiency, so they’re paid not for kilowatts sold, but for watts saved."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHe can't square that statement with the fact that utilities have been at the forefront of encouraging energy efficiency for years. Businesses ranging from mom and pop's liquor store to the largest industrial plants have been taking advantage of financial incentives to install energy-efficient lighting, insulation and heating plants for years. Put a new, better furnace or appliance in your home and you're eligible for a credit. Call up your utility and ask for an energy audit and they'll send someone to give you advice and most of the material you'll need to better weatherize your home. Why do utilities do this? Because it saves them having to build new power plants which cost a helluva lot of money. Sending more money to the federal government in the form of a carbon tax will do nothing more than get money in the hands of the industries with the best lobbyists.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRaj, you are an idiot.
Gene is a right wing nut job.
Abe, what's your better idea?
GJS Utilities have been forced to do what they have in eff, conservation and RE though some have figured out it's a good thing after doing the numbers and stopped being dogmatic.
While I don't agree with everything Freeman says, he's on targets here.
It doesn't matter if you are for or against GW as we need to do the same things for national and economic security. I'm a practical, fiscal conservative who likes to breathe good air.
Obama's plan is switching to RE, NG and our biggest energy source, eff/conservation. These are the low cost energy sources of the future and in just 5 yrs, not 40, they will be far cheaper than oil, nukes or 'clean coal,' an oxymoron.
Home size Wind $2k/kw, CSP solar $3k/kw, all size river/tidal $2k/kw, biomass $3k/kw plus NG $3k/kw vs the utilities that want nuke $9-15k/kw and clean coal at $10-16k/kw if it can even be done.
Now guess which will win? And if the utility wants to go high priced as some already have, then one can make their own easily, cheaply once these are in real mass production.
For transportation Obama will switch us to plug in hybrids and EV's, Semi's to NG and biomass to NG, gasoline, diesel and electricity by F-T process as those are the low cost fuels.
Why will this happen, because as soon as the world economy recovers next yr, oil will hit $150-200/bbl with coal, nuke fuel going right up with it whether we tax it or not . Basic econo-101
Cap and trade, Congress' plan, won't even begin before these prices are here. Much better would be a tax on fossil fuels to pay their real, full cost or as Obama calls his plan, cap and tax. Then use the income for a tax cut and help switching to the new energy sources. The great thing about the oil tax is Iran, Russia, oil dictators and terrorist will end up paying much of it by lower oil prices if we do it soon.