New York Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez hit back at U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin after he told teenage climate activist and TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year to study economics before talking about sustainable policies.
Mnuchin jokingly asked “Is she the chief economist? Who is she, I’m confused,” referring to Thunberg at the 50th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as reported by The Guardian.
In a tweet, the Democratic congresswoman said “Haters gonna hate, deniers will deny” in support of Thunberg.
If you don’t have an economics degree like Greta, they’ll mock you for not having one.
If you DO have one, as I do, they’ll claim it’s illegitimate.
Haters gonna hate & deniers will deny. They will deny logic, science, and environmental consensus in order to protect oligarchy. https://t.co/6b0S40MQk2
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 23, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez has been spearheading the Green New Deal since arriving in Washington, D.C., and has advocated for federal investment in green infrastructure that would help U.S. industries transition away from fossil fuel dependency. The goal would be for U.S. industries run on clean and renewable energy in 10 years.
Thunberg made similar points at the World Economic Forum in Davos where she called for immediate carbon neutrality.
On Thursday, Thunberg also hit back at Mnuchin, tweeting that “it doesn’t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5° carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don’t add up.”
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