Al Franken Climate Change Speech Uses Cheetos Metaphor To Criticize Deniers 'Paid By Big Coal' (VIDEO)

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) attacked climate deniers with a Cheetos metaphor on the Senate floor on Monday, saying those who take money from big coal and also reject global warming should be ignored.

"If 98 out of 100 doctors tell me I've got a problem, I should take their advice," he said. "And if those two other doctors get paid by Big Snack Food, like certain climate deniers get paid by Big Coal, I shouldn't take their advice."

Franken later went on to urge his colleagues to launch a dialogue about climate change and take action.

"We need to start by having a conversation about climate change," he said. "It would be irresponsible to avoid the issue just because it's uncomfortable to talk about."

Franken's "98 out of 100" comment echoes a 2012 survey which showed that fewer than one-quarter of one percent of peer-reviewed articles on climate change or global warming in the past 20 years reject its human origin outright.

The senator actively supports federal legislation to put a price on carbon emissions and was recently named chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.