Hot, flat and crowded - Thomas Friedman on podcast

When Thomas Friedman had his previous book out (The World is Flat), he also made an appearance on the UChannel Podcast (review).His latest book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, expands on the findings of the flat world and adds global warming into the geopolitical equation. The London School of Economics had Friedman invited to talk and the podcast appeared recently on UChannel.

I remember a lot of criticism on Friedman's previous book, that I cannot reproduce here. There is also a lot of criticism on Al Gore's representation of the dangers of global warming, as it being overstated, but Friedman claims Gore must apologize for having under-estimated the dangers. Hence I assume there will be quite some criticism on the latest book as well. Friedman's stunning power, however, is his oratory performance on this podcast. In an amazingly masterful fashion he takes in the audience and makes the case. The logic seems impeccable, the anecdotes are juicy and serve as perfect illustrations and the cognitive arc is composed to perfection.

If you need the case made for immediate, capitalist, government guided, technological attack on global warming and its implication, this is the show to listen to. For a whole range of current problems, Friedman makes it clear the straightforward solution lies in an energy revolution. We need to invest in energy technology and come up with clean and effective alternatives for our current energy needs now and on the largest scale fathomable. Even if you do not need that case made, but need to hear a great piece of rhetoric, here is where you need to go. Any case can hope to have Friedman as its advocate.

More UChannel:
In 2050,
The Arab-Israeli Conflict,
Civilization and the Hills,
New World Order,
The Invisible Hand.