Green China

Tom Friedman's column follows up on China's dramatic announcement of efforts to combat the Climate Crisis, with more details about China's commitments for green energy.

China is still a command economy. They are so big that change may come slowly, but the government sets the direction, and things happen.

Absent the real American commitment President Obama wants, this is the 21st century American economic nightmare. Friedman, with his talent for phrasemaking, likens Red China becoming Green China to the impact of Sputnik.

Here's the money quote: “If they invest in 21st-century technologies and we invest in 20th-century technologies, they’ll win,” says David Sandalow, the assistant secretary of energy for policy. “If we both invest in 21st-century technologies, challenging each other, we all win.”