Ocasio-Cortez Defends Environmental Proposal, Questions Whether People Should Have Children in Light of Climate Change

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.,  took on “climate delayers” and defended the legitimacy of her proposed ‘New Green Deal’  in a bizarre Instagram live stream on Sunday.

During the live stream in which Ocasio-Cortez is shown chopping vegetables and preparing chili, the freshman Congresswoman questioned whether people should still have children because of climate change and further warned that “we have one shot” as “thousands” of people are dying due to its onslaught.

“Climate delayers are the new climate deniers,” said Ocasio-Cortez, adding that politicians who seek to “fix” climate change with a carbon tax alone are “part of the problem.”

The 29-year-old Democratic Socialist argued that a real solution has to match the magnitude of the problem.

The New Green Deal resolution was authored by Ocasio-Cortez and longtime climate advocate Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. It is non-binding but calls for Congress to take the lead in ridding the nation of fossil fuels in the next few decades, among other dramatic environmental and economic changes.

Ocasio-Cortez also dismissed detractors of her Green New Deal on Friday, saying at an event in New York City to any critic who has yet to offer their own bold environmental ideas: “Until you do it, I’m the boss.”

“Like I just introduced the Green New Deal two weeks ago, and it’s creating all of this conversation. Why? Because no one else has even tried. Because no one else has even tried,” she told moderator Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code.

“So people are like, ‘Oh it’s unrealistic. Oh it’s vague. Oh it doesn’t address this little minute thing,’” she added. “And I’m like, ‘You try. You do it. Cuz you’re not. Cuz you’re not. So, until you do it, I’m the boss.’ How about that?’” 

WIBC host Tony Katz responded to Ocasio-Cortez’s comments in today’s Popcorn Moment: