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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says what's happening in Australia shows the compounding effects of climate change ... and it has young people -- including her -- stressed about their future ... even giving them pause to have children of their own.

We got AOC on Capitol Hill Wednesday night and she touched on Australia's "horrifying" wildfires, telling us, it's just the latest example of climate change becoming an all-out crisis before our eyes.

The Congresswoman says we should all be working toward a remedy for the future, but obviously ... it's more important to younger people who will be living in this world longer. As she points out -- the stakes are higher the younger you are.

AOC adds people her age are anxious about having children due to looming threat of climate change ... and it shouldn't be like that. She says we have to take immediate steps to make the future safe for our kids.