The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention argues that no two countries that are both part of the same global supply chain will ever fight a war as long as they are each part of that supply chain.
Thomas FriedmanRead
Natural gas emits only half the carbon dioxide of coal when burned, but if methane leaks when oil companies extract it from the ground in a sloppy manner - methane is far more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide - it can wipe out all the advantages of natural gas over coal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Natural gas can be a cleaner energy source than coal, but methane leaks can negate its benefits.
This quote highlights the environmental implications of using natural gas instead of coal. While natural gas produces less carbon dioxide when burned, methane, which can leak during extraction, is significantly more harmful to the environment as a greenhouse gas. Therefore, if proper extraction practices are not followed, the potential climate benefits of natural gas over coal can be diminished.
Themes
Natural GasMethaneGreenhouse GasClimate ChangeCarbon DioxideEnvironment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about climate policy, a politician might use this quote to emphasize the importance of careful energy extraction practices.
More from Thomas Friedman
All quotes →When it comes to dealing with the world's climate and energy challenges, I have a simple rule: change America, change the world.
Thomas FriedmanRead
The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist -- McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the builder of the F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley's technologies is called the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.
Thomas FriedmanRead
Do you know what my favorite renewable fuel is? An ecosystem for innovation.
Thomas FriedmanRead
If you don't visit the bad neighborhoods, the bad neighborhoods are going to visit you.
Thomas FriedmanRead
Inspiring conduct has so much more of an impact than coercing it.
Thomas FriedmanRead
Similar quotes
I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.
Bill GatesRead
I think chemistry is being frittered away by the hairsplitting of the organic chemists; we have new compounds discovered, which scarcely differ from the known ones and when discovered are valueless-very illustrations perhaps of their refinements in analysis, but very little aiding the progress of true science.
Michael FaradayRead
Science reserves the highest reward for those of you who disprove our most cherished beliefs. At any moment someone from any walk of life could come forward and be responsible for a complete revision of our view of everything.
Ann DruyanRead
The edifice of science not only requires material, but also a plan. Without the material, the plan alone is but a castle in the air-a mere possibility; whilst the material without a plan is but useless matter.
Dmitri MendeleevRead
Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill.
Stephen HawkingRead
A commonsense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question.
Fred HoyleRead