Environmental activists threw pies at New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman while he was speaking about energy at Brown University Tuesday. Friedman spoke about the need for green and sustainable technology (his Power of Green article is a must read), believing developing green technology will make America “stronger, more innovative, [and] more energy secure.”

Protestors threw two green-colored pies at Friedman at the start of his speech, though he managed to dodge most of the dessert. A flier circulated by the protestors said:

“Thomas Friedman deserves a pie in the face because of his sickeningly cheery applaud for free market capitalism’s conquest of the planet, for telling the world that the free market and techno fixes can save us from climate change.”

I want to know what the protestor’s alternative is to Friedman’s suggestions. Alterative power sources are inefficient and expensive still. Even as oil jumps in price, coal remains cheap but dirty and developing nations like China just want power, at the cheapest price. In the Power of Green, Friedman’s argument for market forces is the need for green technology at the “China price,” namely at the price China currently pays for coal plants. China could make cleaner coal plants, but they cost 40 percent more to build and are 20 percent less efficient. And when they’re building two 500-megawatt power plants a week, they need every drop of power they can get.

It’s not that China, India, or America don’t want to become green (well, certain oil companies might be against it). The problem is we don’t want to sacrifice. China estimates pollution costs its economy $67 billion, so fixing the problem is in the nation’s interest, but it’s just too expensive - the technology isn’t there yet. Friedman wants the government, especially the American government, to take an active role in developing green technology at the China price, creating something like the Manhattan Project but around green offering a market incentive to get companies and technologists working on the climate crisis.

Friedman regularly promotes free market ideals, recognizing benefits from outsourcing and free trade helping build up developing countries to match the developed world faster. I agree oil companies, who are making record profits, have little incentive to invest in new technology - its likely we’ll have enough oil during current oil executive’s lifetimes (even if it costs $10 a gallon). With government leadership and incentive, in the form of tax breaks and research grants, can spurn a new green industry that can literally save the planet.

But throwing pies is totally rational. After all, it’s not like we’re also in the middle of a food crisis.

Update: April 24th, 2008, 2:50 p.m. - Here’s a shaky video of the pieing.