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Hans Rosling

Director, Gapminder Foundation

TEDCRED 100+
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What are your thoughts and questions on "the magic washing machine"?

I will be answering questions on my new TED talk today at 11.30 -1.30 pm EST.
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Topics: Live Conversation energy poverty
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  • Rob Quirey

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    Mar 21 2011: Hello Hans,
    Thank you for your talk! I found it very entertaining and interesting.
    A few questions:
    1. With the rising population of middle classed people and consumers world-wide (especially in East Asia), do you think that such an increased demand for goods, services and resources is good or bad for the world?
    In my opinion, it seems almost detrimental that everyone wants to be able to consume like North America. How will the world be able to keep up with such a high demand for production? In the end, the rich (above the air line ;D) will have to give up a lot of their wealth and life style in order to create a balance, which, I think, they would be incredibly reluctant to do.
    2. Green power is definitely a step towards a more self-sufficient society. However, many of the technologies have proven to be very inefficient, and governments, likewise, have proven not to take a true interest in these technologies. On the contrary, many governments seem much more concerned about the economy and international politics.
    a. Do you think that the world's governments should pay more attention to developing more sustainable forms of energy and how do you think we, the people, can convince them to do so?
    b. Is it worth spending millions of dollars developing more efficient means of green energy, despite the fact that anything we build contributes to a loss of green space?
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      Hans Rosling 100+

      • +1
      TED Speaker
      Mar 21 2011: 1. It is good for the world, because the world mainly consist of people with growing incomes in Asia. People in US are presently borrowing money in China for consumption, they will soon have to stop doing that. NO country can expect to have a consumption level that eventually can not be shared by all. I can not imagine how such a world will work. So US has to integrate them self into the world.
      2. YES. the richest countries have not even started to be serious about investments in new green tech. It is deeply embarrassing for the democratic high income countries that China is more serious in investment in new green tech. This must change in US and Europe. Drill baby drill and Nuke baby Nuke is not enough any longer, let us get serious!

      • Rob Quirey

        • 0
        Mar 21 2011: Thank you for your response, Professor Rosling. :)

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