"Hot, Flat & Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution" Pt 2

NY Times opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman discusses his new book, "Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution -- and How It Can Renew America" at the 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

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• friedman
• aspen
• hot
• flat
• crowded
• book

[promisedeyes]

@numinut Cruel? Me? I'm not the one claiming that hundreds of people must suffer with their economic freedom and development stopped in order to protect the environment. It's Friedman and people like you who would rather an African hospital have less electricity then they use coal-fueled plants-- in order to prevent all the bacteria, viruses, insects, etc from being hurt.

[numinut]

@promisedeyes. There is a measure of cruelty in your statement. For starters, I am guessing that you have done nothing to help Haiti. Secondly, when species are hunted to extinction, then the people that depend on them for food will have one less option to avoid starvation. As Spock in Star Trek 4 said, to hunt a species to extinction is illogical. It is morally questionable to keep eliminating parts of the food supply of the very humans who are doing the eliminating.

[Spursdog555]

I feel like his book could be 200 pages shorter, interesting arguments though

[promisedeyes]

The claims about new bouts of extinction also has been debunked. Most of the species that we are losing are things such as types of viruses. These processes have been going on for millenia-- the only thing that has changed significantly is that humans are now around.

As well, morally it seems questionable that we should spend several thousand dollars to save a specific form of turtles when there are starving people in Haiti. Where do these 'animal-first' priorities come from?

[promisedeyes]

The 'Katrina was due to global warming' theory is pretentious nonsense... it's been well debunked, and serious scientific research has found that hurricanes are no more frequent or stronger now compared to the past century.

Of course, this is tangential to concerns about rising sea levels and the like, which is worth worrying about.

Also, his use of the cute term "deniers" is pathetic and childish for someone of his background.

[sleepcity]

@ERROLCUSTERFLYNN4EVR How subtle. You're obviously a very sophisticated wit who is well-informed on the science of climate change. What's your Ph.D in?

[ndyt]

How do they know that CO2 doesn't follow temperature?

[PolluteLessDotCom]

If we use the remaining fossil fuels (and we will have to find every bit of it) for anything else than building a world that is independent of this stuff, we are doomed. Fossil fuels were great, but we have to use waht is still there to change our ways. Party is over - begin using the gift of 300 millions of years of energy wisely! If not, we will have technology that does not work any longer and not enough energy to build anything new.

[deepbluephthalo]

Let's bring back the "democracy" "by the people"! 73% of the American people want us to drill now. Our control-freak politicians apparently do not care about us. Drill now in Alaska, within 100 miles offshore and wherever else. And later on after it's proved and refined then we can live more green. Right now is not the time.

[selypg]

Sometimes the truth hurts.