Thomas Friedman, the three-time Pulitzer prize winner and foreign affairs columnist of The New York Times, built a bonding with book readers and avid students and followers of the international politics with his 2005 bestseller, The World is Flat. He now returns to his audiences with Hot, Flat and Crowded, seeking to unveil the crises of destabilizing climate change and the rising competition for energy, both of which could poison our world, if we do not act quickly and collectively. Friedman begins by painting a petrifying picture of the planet in the early chapters, 'where we are' and 'how we got here'. According to him, we live in a world which is getting hot, flat, and crowded, and the humankind is heading for an era of tightening energy supplies, intensifying the extinction of plants and animals, deepening energy poverty, strengthening petro-dictatorship, and accelerating climate change. The 'hot' refers to a warming trend being experienced globally, almost certainly due to the human activities associated with the large-scale manufacturing. The 'flat' is the combination of technological, market and geopolitical factors that has levelled the global economic playing field with fewer barriers between countries and consumers, and led to a stunning rise of middle classes all over the world enjoying a seamless, unobstructed global marketplace. And this marketplace is getting 'crowded', thanks to the rising population. But the problem is not merely the numbers; it's more about millions harbouring the 'American Dream' - a car, a house, an air-conditioner, a cell phone, a microwave, a toaster, a computer and an iPod. While Friedman cautions that all these devour lots of energy, natural resources, land and water, and emit tonnes of climate-changing greenhouse gases, he is quick to defend the right of people in the developing world to enjoy the American living standards. "I certainly don't blame the citizens of Doha or Dalian for aspiring to an American lifestyle or for opting to build it on the same cheap fossil-fuel foundation that we did," he says. "We invented that system. We exported it. Others are entitled to it every bit as much as we are, if not more, since we've been enjoying this kind of growth and consumption for decades and others are just getting their first taste of it." And since the developing world will not be denied, the onus is on the US to set an example and build an entirely new Clean Energy System generated by the solar, wind and nuclear power. "We are in a position to set a different example of growth," he argues. "We are in a position to use our resources and know-how to invent renewable, clean power sources and energy efficiency systems that can make growth greener." Friedman is a serious votary of ending America's addiction to oil, as it is not only an environmental necessity but a politically urgency. According to him, the US' dependence on oil and gas makes the world warmer, petro-dictators stronger, clean air dirtier, poor people poorer, democratic countries weaker and radical terrorists richer. Friedman claims that, since the excessive oil wealth tend to undermine and impede the growth of democracy, going green can no longer be perceived just a hobby for the high-minded environmentalists, but is indeed a national imperative. Towards this, the author advocates a unique proposition, the creation of an 'energy internet', which will empower energy consumers to maximise efficiency, choose among different sources of supply at different times, and even sell any power they generate themselves back into the grid. He also draws contours of a futuristic house, where all appliances are tied together by a smart grid, which not only regulates and ensures maximum efficiency for energy usage, but also automatically pushes the unused energy back to the utilities. Globally, Friedman would like the US to take lead and encourage other countries to follow a Green Code. He strongly feels that 'outgreen-ing' other countries would make the US all the more powerful. "India and China may take away a few American jobs with cheap labour, but those are transient advantages," writes Friedman. "However, if one of these countries consistently out greens America, they will be seizing a sustainable advantage. In the Energy-Climate Era, you cannot be the leader of the world without being the world's leader in conceptualizing, designing, manufacturing, deploying, and inspiring clean power solutions." Is this possible? Or is it only Friedman's Utopia about the US taking a lead to save the world, in a typically Hollywood style? So far, the US has proven inept at evolving a serious energy strategy, and can hardly be projected as 'a beacon of hope' for the humankind, particularly after its disastrous role in Iraq and elsewhere. To that extent, readers may find Friedman somewhat simplistic, but one cannot question his passion. Full of important information and interesting anecdotes, Friedman is a compelling read, even if you disagree with him.