Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America

I read and reviewed Friedman's earlier book "The World is Flat," which I enjoyed very much. I like "Hot, Flat and Crowded" even better.The thesis of the book is that the world has major challenges, as does the United States, and that it would be best for the United States, and for the world, if the United States played a primary role in figuring out how to deal with these challenges, which include, of course, global warming, excessive/inefficient use of sources of energy, deforestation, and problems with safe drinking water.America got off track under Reaganism, which taught us that government is generally wrong, while private enterprise is more likely right. But what we found out was that what was good for General Motors (short-term) was not always good for the United States. "George W. Bush came into office bound and determined not to ask the American people to do anything hard when it came to energy," says Friedman. And, quoting a poet: "The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be." And, from Friedman: "Our young people are so much more idealistic than we deserve them to be."He warns us that we had "better understand this new era we're heading into." As for "crowded," he says that in 1800, the most populated city was London at one million. Today, there are more than 300 cities of one million or more. And, the world's current total population is about 6.5 billion, with a projection of about nine billion by 2050. As for "flat," the potential bad news is that more and more countries feel entitled to live the "American Dream," which may lead to an impossible demand for dwindling energy supplies. And, as for "hot," he tells us that global warming in for real, but that we humans continue to increase the amounts of carbon dioxide we are sending into the atmosphere.When flat successfully meets crowded, another part of the world moves toward for the "American Dream." "We invented that system. We exported it. Others are entitled to it every bit as much as we are," he says, adding "To tell people they cannot grow is to tell them they have to remain poor forever." As an example, China is on course to have 130 million cars by 2050. And, in India, there are already gated suburban communities with golf courses, big homes and all the other amenities.Currently, of course, Americans are by far the biggest energy hogs, consuming 9-to-30 times more energy than average folks in China or India now consume. And we are doing relatively little to curb our addiction to oil. We send hundreds of billions of dollars per year to Arab states for the stuff. Going green, per Freidman, "is now a national security imperative." And, per Friedman, Al Gore owes us an apology for his effort to alert the world about climate change and global warming. He underestimated the importance of his message.Today, says Friedman, we have three varieties of those who deny global warming: First, those who draw a paycheck from companies with a vested interest in the status-quo; second, a small group of scientists who really believe that global warming is not true; and, third, those who see the issue mainly in political terms, hating government intervention and controls more than any possibility of global warming being for real.So, where are we today? China is building another polluting coal-fired power plant every week. Forests are disappearing as we speak. Safe drinking water is a scarcity in many parts of the world. Twenty-five percent of the world's population has little access to electricity. And approximately 2.5 billion of the world's 6.5 billion people earn less than $2 per day.Per Friedman, "Our environmental savings account is empty....It is pay now, or there will be no later....In a flat world, everyone can see what everyone else is doing, and the harm it is causing."But there is hope. "The green economy is posed to be the mother of all markets," he says. "And the world is waiting for America to lead in this energy-climate issue." From the Japanese comes the Prius, which Friedman says" is not a better car. It's a better system." He adds, "We need many more people, companies, and universities trying many more things." We need "breakthrough innovation." But he says "real energy innovation is hard....We are not going to regulate our way out....we can only innovate our way out....We need 10,000 innovators, all collaborating with, and building upon, one another to produce all sorts of breakthroughs in abundant, clean, reliable, and cheap electrons and energy efficiency....Bottom line: America needs an energy technology bubble just like the information technology bubble." But Friedman knows that China is also a major player, saying "As China goes, so goes Mother Earth."Ending the book, Friedman calls himself a "sober optimist," saying that we are all "Pilgrims again." "But if we rise to the challenge....we, and the world, will not only survive, but thrive, in an age that is hot, flat and crowded."

The United States and the world are standing at a precipice looking down into the abyss. Choosing the wrong path at this juncture will be disastrous for the human race. Unfortunately, rather than leading, the United States has stood idly by for the last eight years sometimes even nudging us forward towards the cliffs edge. The challenges faced include the three headed beast of excessive energy usage, global climate change and loss of freedom. Thomas Friedman sees a green movement to renewable energy source as the solution to all three problems.What the world faces is perhaps the greatest moral dilemma ever. Poverty and early death are tragedies that have always loomed over the world's population but with the success of the integrated economy and modern medicine more and more people are moving into the middle class while life expectancies continue to rise. But in one of the cruelest ironies ever this burgeoning wealth has only accelerated the depletion of the planets resources and the damage to the environment. So how do you tell people that they can't join in the prosperity? Friedman's goal is to manage the growing population and dwindling resources by creating a green revolution that focuses both on renewable energy and perhaps even more important, conservation.Regardless of its staggering successes Capitalism has one fatal flaw, that being that it is essentially amoral. The efficacy of Capitalism has been measured almost solely on growth but the planet has finite resources to grow with. So here we find ourselves at a loggerhead with laissez faire capitalists fighting against those who would conserve resources and reduce emissions while the planets fossil fuels dwindle and the temperature rises. The thinking seems to be that time and energy spend on preserving the planet drains energy that could be devoted to growth and would deny people the freedom to waste as they please. Friedman expresses my long held belief perfectly when he writes, "I absolutely do not understand why Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives would make climate-change denial a conservative republican plank" The do nothing mentality has ruled the roost in the United States through the Bush Administration.Friedman's solution is for the federal government to take a role in shaping the future. What scares investors away from major investments in alternative energy sources is uncertainty which is evident right now with the unexpected and dramatic drop in fuel prices. Friedman writes, "we need the government to level the playing field by taxing what we don't want and subsidizing what we do want" The author proposes setting a floor on fuel prices at say $100 a barrel. Instead the government subsidizes oil keeping it artificially low. Subsidies could then be used to assist alternative energy companies. In this plan the federal government would be influencing the energy industry using the power of market forces. Conservatives will no doubt fight against it tooth and nail but Friedman's plan is no more intrusive than what we currently having going with subsidies going to oil, coal and gas companies and probably less given the way petrol dictorships have forced us into overseas conflicts. Friedman wants to USE market forces to create a green revolution not resist them.What I like about Friedman is how he views the world holistically. As the price of fuel rises petrol dictorships are given the flexibility to curtail freedoms, ignore innovation and allow industry to wither on the vine writing "Whenever governments can raise most of their revenues by simply drilling a hole in the ground rather than tapping their people's energy, creativity, and entrepreneurship, freedom tends to be curtailed, education underfunded, and human development retarded". So essentially if we create renewable energy source and reduce our demand for oil it has a likely benefit of increasing freedom in areas like the Middle East, Russia and parts of South America. This is funny considering that Friedman was an early and vocal supporter of the Bush method of spreading Democracy through invasions. The authors suggests building the energy infrastructure of third world countries using renewable energy sources like solar and wind. That is a great idea.Thomas Friedman doesn't like to write about small topics. `Hot, Flat, and Crowded' is about nothing less than the future of mankind and our possible end unless prudent decision are made. This may not be the best book I've ever read but it may be the most important. Despite from misgivings I may have with Thomas Friedman I have to give this book five stars.

The "used" book was in very good condition. The shipping took a bit longer than expected (3 weeks). I am satisfied with this seller.

Good book

Schwache Leistung. Nicht empfehlenswert. Fühlt sich leider wie ein Mix aus Zitaten und einer unfundierten Meinung an.

great read

単に、環境危機を示すデータをひたすら羅列するわけでもなく、ひたすら感情的に危機をあおるだけの本でもなく、思いよがりの自分の意見をひたすらアピールするわけでもなく、他人の意見を単に引用して組み合わせただけの本でもなく、すべてがきれいにバランスよく書かれており、気持ちよく読める。すでに上の人が書かれているとおり、エネルギー資源の枯渇、専制産油国への富の移転、破壊的な気候変化、資源に由来する貧富の格差、生態系・生物多様性の損失といった５つの視点で現在のエネルギー利用の問題、そこに内在する本質的な原因、解決に向かうべき方向性、すでに表出している成功事例等が、整理されて、述べられている。そこが、多くの環境問題本との大きな違いだ。時間をかけ、じっくり自分の意見を練り、述べているという感がする。それが、「フラット化した社会」でも感じたところだ。特に、Petrodictatorshipについての、石油消費のもたらす意味、の批判は強烈だ。石油を使うということが中東にどういう影響を与えているのか？自らの石油消費が、武器・テロ・反民主主義への資金源につながっているのを分かって、アメリカ人は石油を使っているのか？と。つまり、本書は単なる環境問題本ではなく、「エネルギーと現代の問題・次世代への方向性」を述べた本である。特に、本書はアメリカ人向けの本であり、現在のアメリカの問題点を厳しく批判している箇所も複数出てくる（そういう意味では、世界の問題・日本の問題について読みたい人には若干不満があるかもしれない）また、スマートグリッドについて一章を割き、将来の考えうる姿・ライフスタイルにつき、紹介されている。まだ、スマートグリッドの定義もあいまいな現在、ひとつのイメージを持つのにも適していると思う。最後に、洋書の方が一冊買うだけでいいので、邦書（上下巻）より安い、ということでこっちにしてみた。長いと感じるかもしれないが、英語自体はそんなに難しくない。TOEIC800点以上ある人は、こちらでチャレンジしてみてもよいのではないだろうか。結論として、よくある環境本を何冊か読むより、本書をじっくり読み、本を閉じた後、静かに考えてみる。それにより得られることは大きいと思う。