Tom Friedman in Grand Rapids
Early in October Tom Friedman from the New York Times spoke in Grand Rapids. He addressed a crowd of 700 on many of the messages contained in his most recent book Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution. His was an optimist message — no matter the problem(s), if we start solving them now they can be solved in time. He left somewhat to the imagination what constituted “in time”, having earlier stated that Al Gore got it all wrong on global warming. It fact it was happening faster and more severely than the former vice president predicted.
Not surprisingly his call for a carbon tax as a price signal that makes dirty fuels more expensive and clean fuels relatively cheaper did not get a lot of applause, even though it makes sense. He called on the crowd and the nation to be diligent and innovative in searching for sources of abundant, cheap, clean reliable electricity generation. He ended his presentation with his motto: “Change your leaders, not your light bulbs, because leaders write the rules. Rules shape the markets and markets give you scale. It starts there.”
Many more interesting and thought provoking comments. He could start a revolution.
Tags: alternative energy, climate change, electric, energy security, global warming, green energy, Michigan alternative energy, renewable energy, Tom Friedman
Energy | Bruce Goodman | 28 October 2009 |
