We clearly need to break our addiction on Saudi Arabian oil that is a security threat to the United States.

Investing in industries and technology for the 21st century generates high-skilled, high-wage jobs for industries of the future.

We have had a loss in manufacturing base and a loss of some of our productive capability that can be filled with the green-collar jobs of tomorrow. But it will only happen if we recognize the scale and scope of both the challenge and the opportunity.

Air is one we hold in common; it has a limited carrying capacity for pollutants and that's being used up by those who pollute the atmosphere. So we have to stop that externality. We would never allow a utility to put their coal slag in a dump truck and back it up to the city park and dump it in unlimited amounts for free. But that is exactly what we do with carbon dioxide and methane.

If this ice melts in Greenland it can shut down the Gulf Current.

We must start... rebuilding our cities around energy efficiency and human needs, rather than around the car and wasted energy.

I would like to see whoever is our next president dedicate a significant part of their inaugural address to this challenge. We have to ignite the nation's energies and passions on this to make this happen. I think we do need the same kind of inspiration we had from Kennedy in his inaugural address in 1961.