Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman

Review: This compelling manifesto weaves together globalization, over-population, and climate change showing how we got here and providing potential solutions to avoid future calamity. Essentially this reads as 2 books. The first part is Friedman’s analysis of what has gone wrong over the past 50 years; the second contains ideas for solving some of the big issues we’re facing.

Connecting democracy to the price of oil was interesting. Because oil-rich countries don’t tax their citizens to raise revenue they don’t have to listen to their citizens. When the price of oil goes down though suddenly the oil-rich countries become more reform-minded and democratic. He makes the case for energy self-sufficiency as a way toward spreading democracy.

This book definitely makes you think about the impact of daily habits and I certainly wish all politicians would read it and consider how a long-term perspective would benefit the country. It is long and quite detailed; however the first few chapters are worth the price alone.