Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Monday pointed to the California wildfires that have devastated thousands of acres and forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes, saying: "This is what climate change looks like."
"The GOP like to mock scientific warnings about climate change as exaggeration," the freshman representative said on Twitter. "But just look around: It's already starting.
"We have 10 years to cut carbon emissions in half," she added. "If we don't, scenes like this can get much worse. #GreenNewDeal."
Wildfires have been burning in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, since last week — and have now spread to 85 square miles, The Associated Press reported Monday.
The fires have destroyed 94 buildings in the area and have threatened 80,000 more, including parts of the city of Santa Rosa, state fire authorities said.
Before dawn on Monday, a fire erupted in Los Angeles, near the Santa Monica Mountains, and has threatened thousands of homes in wealthy neighborhoods.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James tweeted Monday that he and his family had to evacuate their home.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. notified more than 1.2 million people that they might face electricity shutoffs for the third time in a week and the fourth time this month.
In addition, the National Weather Service has warned that up to 75 mph winds could cause "erratic fire behavior."
Ocasio-Cortez has proposed the Green New Deal as a way to move the country completely off fossil fuels within 10 years.
The plan, which has been endorsed by all of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates and opposed by President Donald Trump, would require a major economic overhaul and is projected to cost tens of trillions of dollars.
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