Thomas Friedman pushes ‘green revolution’ during CU visit
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist speaks at Macky
BOULDER, Colo. — Thomas Friedman wants Al Gore to apologize.
Not for sounding the alert about the effects of global warming, but instead for underplaying the consequences of not reversing the current course.
“The climate science has been going beyond even what Al Gore predicted five years ago,” he said. “All the climate deniers are going to live long enough to see how wrong they are.”
The three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times foreign-affairs columnist and best-selling author addressed a sold-out crowd Monday night at the University of Colorado. The talk centered on his latest book, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded.”
“This book is my argument about how we get our groove back as a country,” he said.
He said America can get back on track by staging a “green revolution,” saying the country needs to redefine what it means to “live like an American.”
“Green is the new red, white and blue,” he said.
He said the country that owns “abundant, cheap, clean, reliable electrons and molecules” will be the country with the most economic power and highest standard of living.
“Energy technology is the next great global industry,” he said.
He said the key to the green revolution will be innovation, stimulated by making “dirty fuels” more expensive and “clean fuels” cheaper. To do that, he said, it’s necessary for Congress to pass a carbon tax.
Ultimately, he said, the word “green” should disappear.
Instead of a small number of energy-efficient buildings and cars, he said, all should be built that way — eliminating the need for a “green” designation.
“It won’t be a green car, just a car,” he said.
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/feb/16/thomas-friedman-cu-boulder-green-revolution/
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