Senator Jeff Merkley came to the podium during the luncheon session at America’s Future NOW! focused on energy. He opened, reinforcing core points from his 2008 campaign:
If I’d been here a year ago, I would have talked to you about three things: The need to transform energy economy, create jobs, and tackle global warming. … About the third, during the campaign, I spoke it about every single night. People asked me why, as it was 21st on people’s concerns. I responded: it should be first on everyone’s agenda and the only way it will be is if we talk about it.
Senator Merkley speaks, today and elsewhere, knowledgeably and forcefully about Global Warming, providing a litany of items that should part of the agenda moving ahead. Amid these items and opportunity, Senator Merkley made some key points. But, he provided a straightforward shorthand of what must happen.
If I am going to simplify the issue, we have to quit taking geologic carbon and turning it into atmospheric carbon.