書き抜き読書ノート 658

2010 年 7 月 18 日

Thomas L. Friedman 著「Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why The World Needs A Green Revolution and How We Can Renew Our Global Future 」Penguin Books 刊を読む

Hot, Flat, and Crowded − Why The World Needs A Green Revolution - and How We Can Renew
Our Global Future
1. Because a place where birds don't fly is a place where pcople don't mix, ideas don't get sparked,
friendships don't get forged, stereotypes don't get broken, collaboration doesn't happen, trust
doesn't get built, and freedom doesn't ring. That is not the kind of place we want America to be.
That is not the kind of place we can afford America to be. An America living in a defensive
crouch cannot fully tap the vast rivers of idealism, innovation, volunteerism, and philanthropythat still flow fhrough our nation. And it cannot play the vital role it has long played for the restof the world − as a beacon of hope and the country that can always be counted on to lead theworld in response to whatever is the most important challenge of the day. We need that America− and we need to be that Ameica − more than ever today.
This is a book about why.
2. The core argument is very simple: America has a problem and the world has a problem.
America's problem is that it has lost its way in recent years − partly because of 9/11 and partly
because of the bad habits that we have let build up over the last three decades, bad habits thathave weakened our society's ability and willingness to take on big challenges.
3. The world also has a problem: It is getting hot, flat, and crowded. That is, global warming, thestunning rise of middle classes all over the world, and rapid population growth have converged ina way that could make our planet dangerously unstable. In particular, the convergence of hot,flat, and crowded is tightening energy supplies, intensifying the extinction of plants and animals,
deepening energy poverty, strengthening petrodicatatiorship, and accelerating climate change.
How we address these interwoven global trends will determine a lot about the quality of life onearth in the twenty-first century.
4. I am convinced that the best way for America to solve its big problem

the best way for

America to get its groove back − is for us to take the lead in solving the world's big problem. In
a world that is getting hot, flat, and crowded, the task of creating the tools, systems energy
sources, and ethics that will allow the planet to grow in cleaner, more sustainable ways is going
to be the biggest challenge of our lifetime.

5. But this challenge is actually an opportunity for America. If we take it on, it will revive
America at home, reconnect America abroad, and retool America for tomorrow. America is always
at its most powerful and most influential when it is combining innovation and inspiration, wealth‑building and dignity‑building, the quest for big profits and the tackling of big problems. When
we do just one, we are less than the sum of our parts. When we do both, we are greater than thesum of our parts‑much greater.
6. But it's not just an opportunity, either: it's also a test. It's a test of whether we are able andwilling to lead. Whether you love us or hate us, whether you believe in American power or you
don't, the convergence of hot, flat, and crowded has created a challenge so daunting that it is
impossible to imagine a meaningful solution without America really stepping up.
going to be losers or heroes

We are either

there's no room anymore for anything in between,says Rob

Watson, CEO of Eco Tech International and one of the best environmental minds in America.
7. Yes, either we are going to rise to the level of leadership, innovation, and collaboration that isrequired, or everybody is going to lose

big. Just coasting along and doing the same old things

is not an option any longer. We need a whole new approach. As they say in Texas:

If all you

ever do is all you've ever done, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got.
8. The simple name for the new project I am proposing is
America in the 1950s and 1960s

Code Green.

What

red

was toa symbol of the overarching Communist threat, the symbolthat was used to mobilize our country to build up its militaty, its industrial base, its highways,
its railroads, ports, and airports, its educational institutions, and its scientific capabilities to leadthe world in defense of freedomwe needgreen

to be for today's America.
P5 〜 6[コメント]
フリードマン氏の英語は洗練され、極めてわかりやすい。単語帳をつくりながら精読すれば、世界の動きがわかるだけでなく、素晴らしい英語の勉強になる。本人の朗読による CD も有用。
− 2010 年 7 月 18 日林明夫記−