Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., talks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Facing criticism that the deal was economically unfeasible and even harmful, Ocasio-Cortez retorted that "millennials and people, you know, Gen Z and all these folks that will come after us are looking up, and we’re like: ‘The world is gonna end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change. And your biggest issue is, ‘How are we going to pay for it?’ Like, this is our World War II."
Six years later, Ocasio-Cortez has become one of the most widely recognized Democratic leaders and is even a rumored frontrunner for president in 2028.
Though her political fortunes have risen, Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry on whether she still believes the world is nearing its end.
Indeed, according to the World Meteorological Organization, the earth’s average temperature already rose by 2.79 degrees in 2024, the warmest year ever recorded globally, without any apocalyptic outcomes as of yet.
Ocasio-Cortez has continued to advocate for climate-focused policies. On her official website, she touts her climate advocacy taking partial credit for the federal government making its "biggest ever investment in climate change - $369 billion to fight climate change, 9 million green jobs and net zero carbon emissions by 2030."
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Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, is calling for a shifting of resources to battle poverty and preventing disease and hunger rather than focusing on reducing rising temperatures. (Ore Huiying/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Gates hasn't abandoned the fight against climate change. He noted that every tenth of a degree of warming matters.
"Every tenth of a degree of heating that we prevent is hugely beneficial because a stable climate makes it easier to improve people’s lives," he wrote.
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"Although climate change will hurt poor people more than anyone else, for the vast majority of them it will not be the only or even the biggest threat to their lives and welfare," he added.
In recent years, Gates has focused on the goals of his Gates Foundation, which has donated billions of dollars to fund health care, education and development initiatives worldwide.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-silent-whether-she-amend-doomsday-climate-prediction-deadline-looms