Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) said on Wednesday that any plan to effectively address climate change would cost at least $10 trillion.
Ocasio-Cortez, who co-authored the Green New Deal, a plan to shift the US's dependence on fossil fuels to renewable resources such as wind and solar power, has moved the issue of climate change front and center in anticipation the 2020 Democratic primaries.
“I think we really need to get to $10 trillion to have a shot,” Ocasio-Cortez told The Hill on Wednesday, adding, “I know it’s a ton. I don’t think anyone wants to spend that amount of money, it’s not a fun number to say, I’m not excited to say we need to spend $10 trillion on climate, but … it’s just the fact of the scenario.”
“It’s not politically popular, people are going to call it unrealistic, and I just don’t think people understand how bad the problem is,” she emphasized.
The freshman congresswoman added that although she was pleased by several climate plans which Democratic presidential candidates proposed, including those of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, she feels that there's still room for improvement.
“I think the entire field of climate plans still needs to be pushed,” she said. “I think it just needs to be pushed in terms of the scientific scale, that is scientifically supported in what we need to solve this problem.”