Hot, Flat and Crowded
by Timlynn Babitsky
Tom Friedman’s latest book comes out today. In it he says that we need an “Earth race” with China, Europe, and Japan, to see who can create the technologies to make the Earth livable for man. New energy technology is the next great industrial revolution.
On Sunday, Tom Friedman was interviewed by Tom Brokow on Meet the Press about his new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded. In it he says that the US needs to ensure its world leadership position for the future by taking the lead now in solving global warming. Here are a few choice excerpts:
“But when I hear, drill, drill, drill, or drill, baby, drill, I try to imagine… the Saudi, Venezuelan, Russian and Nigeria observers…They’d be up there leading the chant. They’d be saying this is great. America isn’t sitting there saying, “Invent, invent, invent new, renewable energy,” they’re saying, “drill, drill, drill.”
“I’m actually not against drilling. What I’m against is making that the center of our focus, because we are on the eve of a new revolution, the energy technology revolution. It would be, Tom, as if on the eve of the IT revolution, the revolution of PCs and the Internet, someone was up there standing and demanding, “IBM Selectric typewriters, IBM Selectric typewriters.” That’s what drill, drill, drill, is the equivalent of today.”
“…Young Chinese… they say to me, you know, “Mr. Friedman, you guys got to grow dirty for 150 years, now it’s our turn.” To which I always say to them, “You know what, you’re right. It is your turn. Take your time. Grow as dirty as you want. Because I think we just need five years to invent all the clean power technologies you’re going to need before you choke to death and then we’re going to come over and we’re going to sell them to you and we’re going to clean your clock in the next great global industry.”
Click here to read the Meet the Press Friedman interview transcript.
Click here to watch the Meet the Press Friedman interview video on line.
[...] To read my blog post on Tom Friedman, the new industrial revolution and your part in it, and to go see the Friedman interview video, click here. [...]
[...] To read my blog post on Tom Friedman, the new industrial revolution and your part in it, and to go see the Friedman interview video, click here. [...]
[...] To read my blog post on Tom Friedman, the new industrial revolution and your part in it, and to go see the Friedman interview video, click here. [...]