This moment feels to me like a bad B-movie rerun of the 1980s. And I know how this movie ends ”” with our re-addiction to oil and OPEC, as well as corrosive uncertainty for our economy, trade balance, security and environment.
“Is the economic crisis going to be the end of green?” asks David Rothkopf, energy consultant and author of “Superclass.” “Or, could green be the way to end the economic crisis?”
It has to be the latter. We can’t afford a financial bailout that also isn’t a green buildup ”” a buildup of a new clean energy industry that strengthens America and helps the planet.
Bailout. Thomas Friedman. “Green.” Prepare for knee-jerk reflexes.
Yet more in Tom Friedman’s unwavering and principled promotion of Tom Friedman. A man whose ideas are outmoded the moment they are committed to paper.
The bit about changing the President’s fleet is particularly absurd – does he really not understand the very troubling security problems that would present? They’re called terrorists Tom, I believe you’ve written about them in the past.
He also throws in nuclear with the other alternative energy options, glossing over the reality that his green buddies have fought like crazy to keep new plants from opening (while the French, whom the greenies supposedly adore, get far more of their power from nuclear – go figure). And he ignores the massive transmission networks that wind and solar would require to get energy from the plains to the large cities – his NIMBY friends would be all over that like (you know what) through a goose.
Might I humbly suggest a moratorium on Tom Friedman’s articles on this site?
thanks for posting; these seem like common sense ideas. i for one welcome opinions from forward thinking people. thank heavens i am no longer the minority that sees God’s gift of creation and the importance of preserving it for mankind’s descendants.
I am glad someone is thinking about energy alternatives. We will always be knotted up and entangled with the Mideast as long as we depend on their oil.
Dear Sherri2: Yes, we need to find new sources of energy; I agree with Friedman on this one. He has long espoused these policies.
Let’s clear up a serious misconception about oil imports. (I have no relation to the oil industry or any foreign country; I do like to have the FACTS when making decisions). Despite what our politicians are continually repeating, the USA imports FAR more oil from CANADA than any other country. Saudi Arabia, MEXICO and VENEZUELA are in a near-tie for third place, depending upon the month. Why do you think the politicians keep mentioning the Saudi connection, (which has insisted that oil be priced in US dollars, helping us!), and neglect to rouse their followers against the corrupt governments in MEXICO and VENEZUELA?? Because there are MANY voters of Hispanic background in the US, and very few of Saudi background. It’s despicable, but true; the American public is being manipulated. Imagine if we DEMANDED the badly-needed governmental/political reform in Mexico! It just ain’t gonna happen!
Here are the latest figures. (I don’t think this is a link, but cut and paste into your browser):
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html
It is interesting to note that I pay the highest per kilowatt hour rate that my electricity provider offers. Why? Because I use [b]less[/b] electricity. If I used [b]more[/b], then I would get a lower rate; and the [b]more[/b] electricity I used, the [b]lower[/b] per kilowatt hour rate I would pay. And this makes sense because?
Little Cabbage, I’d as soon we not get oil from Saudi Arabia. But historically we have never done well at demanding governmental reform in other countries, have we? Latin American history is littered with misguided meddling, as I recall.
Sherri2, I certainly agree with you, I’d rather not get oil or energy from anywhere beyond our borders….and we haven’t been good at ‘reform’ in other countries. My post was simply to point out that we too often forget the facts: that there are a NUMBER of regimes with which we strongly disagree which supply MUCH of our oil (Nigeria, e.g.) — not just S.A. Just trying to supply accurate context for a difficult issue.
And we do need to put our R&D;into energy alternatives such as solar, wind, thermal, etc. Let’s use our best minds to find those answers, rather than the next overly-engineered toy that the Pentagon doesn’t even want!