I have continually cited and expounded on one of the greatest thinkers and most eloquent writers of the 21st century, Thomas Friedman of the New York Times.
Friedman is progressive in every sense of the word; progressive not in the constricted realms of partisenship, but progressive in a grander view of the world and the challenges that lie ahead for all global citizens. He began speaking about the reality of "going green" in 2006 when oil was at $50 dollars a barrel; his theories about the continued rise in prices have all been validated. Friedman is not worried about the price of filling up your tank; he is worried about the money being sent back to support the very people we are fighting concurrent wars against today in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is worried about the erosion of democracy and human rights as a result of petrodollar fueled budgets. He is worried about the standing of America as we continue to be sluggish off the line in true progressive energy policy and implementation. And broadest of all, Friedman worries about the effects on the planet itself of the unsustainable explosion in fossil fuel usage around the world. These are the broader regions of geopolitics which will affect all our lives more and more as the days progress; we will adjust to $4 a gallon gas; it is actually a hidden blessing for the advancement of green science and technology in this country; but we cannot simply adjust to the larger, and darker realities of the world and our standing in the world if we do not adjust our thinking towards going green.
Friedman on Charlie Rose discussing his concept of GeoGreen:
"If you want to be a democracy promoting realist or a democracy promoting idealist, you darn well better be a energy environmentalist. Thats what it means to be GeoGreen."
"Three billion new players just walked onto the playing field over the last decade.
They all came with their own version of the American dream. A house, a car, a toaster, a fridge, and a microwave. If we don't find an alternative to fossil fuels to satisfy the energy demands of these new players, we are going to burn up, choke up, heat up, and smoke up this planet so much faster."
I believe that China is going to go Green. And I believe that Green China is going to be so much more of a challenge to us than Red China. China is going to green because China can't breath. The richest man in China today is already a solar energy entrepeneur...
What im trying to do is to rename green. I want to rename it geoeconomic, geostrategic, geopolitical, capitalistic, and patriotic..green is the new red white and blue."
