Tom Friedman returns to milk the cash cow he created earlier this decade called The World is Flat.  Milking the cash cow may have a negative tone, but that isn’t always the case.  In fact it’s usually during this that we create our best stuff.  The World is Flat was a more eye-opening book, but Hot, Flat, and Crowded is the more important book.

With its title, you pretty much know what Friedman plans on talking about.  This is a green book.

His greener side wasn’t given away much in the last book, so I was taken aback by the idea Friedman would do such a book.  However this is because I don’t read his NY Times columns, which have always covered the topic.  So for the book, it’s basically divided into two sections, a boring one and an interesting one.  The first section is the set up of all the pollution and energy issues we face as a nation, and a planet.  You’ve heard most of this stuff before, and if it didn’t impact you before, it likely won’t now.

The second section is the real meat of this book.  Friedman successfully argues the business case for going green.  The United States was a leader in manufacturing, and then the information age that followed.  We’ve now entered a new world of green, and the US is falling behind.  If we don’t jump on the bandwagon we may be left in the dust as the next generation comes to power.  When they do, the US won’t be the center of the world.

Friedman outlines the government policies we’ll need in order to poor some lighter fluid on this green revolution spark and really set us up to rule the next true chapter in humanity.  It’s a combination of taxes and investment, and whether or not you agree with him he has compelling arguments and evidence to back it up.

The final chapters of the book focus on the technologies and businesses we’ll be using a need to use to make all of this work.  A few pages outline how the future would look for us using a combination of smart appliances, power generating vehicles that are basically moving batteries, creating electricity you sell to the power company, and even your long commute to work (walking down the hall to your office).  This section is one of the most important in the book.  We can’t obviously make all of what he describes work, but most of the technologies already exist.

Of course I can’t read a book like this without having a beef with some of it.  First of all, if you can’t make your point in less than 300 pages, your argument isn’t well-formed.  My hardback copy is more than 400, and it reads very slowly (just like The World is Flat).  A good book, fiction or otherwise, needs to be shorter because you won’t keep the attention of my generation long enough to make your point.  Do multiple volumes if you need to.

Also, Friedman is green.  He’s got solar panels, commutes on rail (works in DC), and employs a host of energy saving and green technologies all through his life.  However there is no such thing as a green book (ignore what I said earlier).  This book was printed on paper, put on a dirty truck and sent to Amazon’s distribution center, and then trucked to my doorstep.  That is not a green process.  He sells millions of books and he needs to address how much pollution he contributes to the environment.  Perhaps a portion of his sales goes to carbon offsets, or maybe it should only be distributed electronically.  That would mean he’s really doing his part.

Criticism aside, reading this book is the most important thing a “well-informed” citizen can do.  You can be a hardcore global warming hater, a mere skeptic of man-kind’s contributions, an indifferent but conscious polluter, or an all out green hippy Prius driving tree hugging nut; but you cannot have an informed opinion of the green revolution without knowing this book.

By The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics.

categories: books, environment