[Graeme]

'Hot, Flat, And Crowded' by Thomas Friedman

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')homas Friedman is a man bent on revolution. In his new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, the three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist writes about the need for a green revolution — and calls upon Americans to lead the charge.

Friedman argues that the U.S. can help revive itself at home and abroad by finding solutions to global warming.

Friedman is a foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times. His other books include From Beirut to Jerusalem and The World is Flat.

[ohanian]

I read a little bit of this book by not paying for it.

I read it standing up.

Basically, he said

The world is not only flat, it's damn hot and damn crowded. And if we did not do anything to change it, well damn it, our children will be triple damned. Economically damned, Environmentally damned and Populationally damned.

----

Listen, and understand. Global Warming is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, even after you are dead.

[mos6507]

I watched his stump speech on this and it was great up until the point where he used the tired old analogy of the stone age not ending because of a shortage of stones in relation to peak oil. That was a signal that the guy has no concept of phantom carrying capacity, overshoot and die-off. So he's a classic technofix cornucopian. Bless his heart. The world needs optimisits to help mitigate things. But I think he and the rest of his kind are up for a cruel awakening in the end if they think technology alone will save the day.

This quote says it all:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')In a world that is getting hot, flat, and crowded, the task of creating the tools, systems, energy sources, and ethics that will allow the planet to grow in cleaner, more sustainable ways is going to be the biggest challenge of our lifetime.

[Nano]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'H')e still believes in infinite growth in a finite world. He just wants to kick the can down the road a little bit more.

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Nano', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'H')e still believes in infinite growth in a finite world. He just wants to kick the can down the road a little bit more.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wisconsin_cur', '
')What do you add value to which is not also a resource that can be depleted?

[Revi]

I like Friedman's book. I am reading it now. He's upbeat and wants us all to get into the green thing now. The world is still flat, but it's crowded and hot now.

What the heck, I reccomend it.

[3aidlillahi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')I watched his stump speech on this and it was great up until the point where he used the tired old analogy of the stone age not ending because of a shortage of stones in relation to peak oil.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('3aidlillahi', '
')with the help of people like Friedman we can move to a green economy. The limits within a green economy will thus force us into a non-growth system as the wind, year over year, doesn't increase, nor does solar power nor geothermal.