HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Like that other famous environmentalist, Thomas Friedman began his talk at the Asia Society in Hong Kong on December 16 with a simple PowerPoint slide. But that's where the similarities between Al Gore and The New York Times columnist end. Thomas L. Friedman has taken on a green hue with his latest book, "Hot, Flat and Crowded". Unlike Gore, Friedman is a distinctly different shade of green, a deeply pragmatic green that believes economic forces can usher in a revolution in environmental policy. He argues that systemic change simply requires showing the world that it needs green technology and letting pure economics do the rest.
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Journalist and author of "Hot, Flat and Crowded" spoke at Hong Kong event
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Pragmatic approach to environmentalism also a means to transform U.S. economy
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For Friedman, innovation in energy technology is solution of all solutions
@placeholder as the bastion for innovation, Friedman argues, should play a big role.