For your final assigned reading in Hot, Flat and Crowded, I am combining material from chapters 9 and 16 that focuses on energy. Chapter 9 focuses on the quarter of humanity that does not have regular access to an electricity grid and how that influences their lives. The part of chapter 16 that I have included describes how the US military has become an innovator in energy conservation and green energy production which might have applications for that energy impoverished portion of the world’s population.

Question Set for Ch 9 of Hot, Flat and Crowded: Energy Poverty. P 194-.

1. The 3^rd paragraph on p. 194 effectively shows how energy impoverished sub-Saharan Africa is relative to Europe and China. The contrast would be even greater if Friedman had compared electrical power production in the US to Africa. P. 195 demonstrates how energy impoverished other regions of the world are and how energy poverty has not gained the attention of rich countries of the world.

2. Why is there so much energy poverty in the world?

3. How would you support Friedman’s claim that, “Every problem of the developing world is also an energy problem”?

4. How is energy poverty going to become worse for the world’s poor in a “Hot World”?

5. How is energy poverty going to become worse for the world’s poor in a “Flat World”?

6. Why does Friedman want the poor to be connected to the flat world in a “flat and green” manner?

7. I strongly agree with Friedman’s point that we currently are missing out on the ingenuity and inventiveness of one quarter of humanity because they are not electrified. If rich countries can connect these people to the electricity grid with clean electrons our human capacity will greatly increase.

8. How is energy poverty going to become worse for the world’s poor in a “Crowded World”?

Question Set for Ch 16 of Hot, Flat and Crowded: Outgreening al-Qaeda (or, Buy One, Get Four Free). P 373-378.

1. Use the term “green-hawk” and “green solution” to explain what Friedman means by “outgreening al-Qaeda”.

2. Friedman’s explanation of how Central Command’s energy budget was used in Iraq gives you some idea of why you should think of much of Iraq as equivalent to California’s Death Valley. The summer time high temperatures are astounding. Imagine fighting that war without the diesel generators that provided air conditioning for our troops.

3. What does Friedman mean by “distributed energy” and how would it improve security of soldiers?

4. Why did diesel fuel cost at lest $20 a gallon in Iraq? How did that high price influence military leaders? Use the term “fully burdened cost” in your answer.

5. Explain why Friedman characterizes the temporary domed structure as an example of “buy one, get four free”.