what an enjoyable luxury to wake up this morning, make a cup of tea, and leisurely surf through the op-ed columns at nytimes.com without cursing the pay wall.
take note: that might be the last time i ever think of thomas friedman and “enjoyable” at the same time.
wondering what friedman has been up to since the last time you laid out $32.95 for a copy of his simplistic (and poorly written) drivel and decided you were too cheap to pay for times select for all these months? today’s friedman column highlights the economic growth in doha, qatar and dalian, china to support the assertion that, despite any changes that might be made in the US to try to lower emissions and combat global warming, that initiative will be permanently sidetracked by the emergence of “Americans” in the middle east and china – and, i assume, throughout the developing world. by “Americans”, friedman means
people who once lived low-energy lifestyles but by dint of oil wealth or hard work are now moving into U.S.-style apartments, cars and appliances
(and, by extension, watching nfl football, callously ignoring other cultures, putting their own individual interests far above anyone else’s, including their own countrymen, and, essentially, sacrificing all other interests and passions to engage in mass consumption).
friedman ends his piece by declaring
There is no green revolution, or, if there is, the counter-revolution is trumping it at every turn. Without a transformational technological breakthrough in the energy space, all of the incremental gains we’re making will be devoured by the exponential growth of all the new and old “Americans.”
for a second, put aside his deft and ultimately pointless maneuvering to position himself as the guy on the lifeboat declaring loudly that he always knew we’d never be able to win:
“I remain a climate skeptic — not a skeptic about climate change, but a skeptic that we’re going to be able to mitigate it — it’s partly because of Doha and Dalian. Can you imagine how much energy all these new skyscrapers in just two cities you’ve never heard of are going to consume and how much CO2 they are going to emit?”
friedman is incapable of seeing past his bias that the road to development parallels I-95. the deeper story here is that not everyone wants to be one of friedman’s “Americans”. that fundamental difference between the US and the rest of the world should present a ray of optimism into this problem.
as an example, the increase in global awareness in toronto this past summer has been incredible. the majority of people i know, across many age and income demographics, feel affected by the green issue and are doing something to change their behaviour. change is understandably difficult, even if one is aware of the severity of the issue and the likely effect on that individual’s lifestyle in the future, but, in toronto, it is happening, albeit slowly. by all accounts, the same awareness and apetite for change exists in some places in the US, europe, and other developed nations.
the issue that friedman should be investigating is whether the behavioural pattern beginning to be exhibited in the developed world is different in the middle east or in china. in these place, are there people who understand that the consumption choices they make will affect their environment and their future, but reject the long term environmental effect in favour of the short term pleasure of consumption nonetheless? is awareness being restricted by groups like government and big business who have a vested interest in continued consumption and maintaining elevated oil prices (which certainly wouldn’t be the case for governments like china or india, who are net importers)? is there really a drive to a world of guitar hero and mcmansions; is that the dream of a rural worker who emigrates to a big chinese city like dalian?
i’ve travelled all over the world, and in my experience friedman is right when he assumes that the aspiration for something better is a universal human trait. but he is wrong to assume that the chinese, indians, and “Americans” all aspire to the same better. in fact, it’s not even true that all “Americans”/westerners aspire to the same better; just the other day (in an article i read but can’t find), canadians said they’d forfeit a significant chunk of salary to solve the climate change problem. why are we assuming that the chinese wouldn’t feel the same?
the developing world deserves the same opportunities that the developed world has received. no one is trying to restrict their choices. but why assume that success – and happiness – are related to SUVs and increased carbon consumption? certainly the demand for oil has increased and will continue to do so in lock step with the development of countries like india and china. but the end state will not be america 2.0. simply put, mass consumerism is not the ultimate social structure. sure, the world is changing. it’s just not changing the way that friedman thinks it is.
friedman, there are solutions. but promoting a defeatist attitude and discouraging change by saying
Hey, I’m really glad you switched to long-lasting compact fluorescent light bulbs in your house. But the growth in Doha and Dalian ate all your energy savings for breakfast. I’m glad you bought a hybrid car. But Doha and Dalian devoured that before noon. I am glad that the U.S. Congress is debating whether to bring U.S. auto mileage requirements up to European levels by 2020. Doha and Dalian will have those gains for lunch — maybe just the first course. I’m glad that solar and wind power are “soaring” toward 2 percent of U.S. energy generation, but Doha and Dalian will devour all those gains for dinner. I am thrilled that you are now doing the “20 green things” suggested by your favorite American magazine. Doha and Dalian will snack on them all, like popcorn before bedtime.
especially on a day when you were unveiled from your pay wall to receive several million new, impressionable readers makes it seem as if you’re more interested in slowing down the efforts of those people who are working optimistically towards change. on behalf of the six billion of us who dream of a brighter future, go find the keys to the nearest lifeboat. do us all a favour and make sure that it’s a hybrid, at least.