Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) suggested during Sunday evening’s CNN debate that we must address the climate change “crisis” with the same urgency as the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

Sanders criticized Joe Biden’s (D) plan to address the climate change “crisis” during Sunday’s debate, contending that it is not ambitious enough. The Vermont senator also likened his sense of urgency on climate change to the world’s reaction to the imminent threat of the coronavirus.

“We started this debate talking about a war-like situation in terms of the coronavirus, and we said we have to act accordingly. You said it. I think you’re right. I said it,” Sanders said.

“We have to act dramatically, boldly if we’re going save lives in this country and around the world. I look at climate change in exactly the same way,” he continued. “It’s not a question of re-entering the Paris Accord, that’s fine. Who cares? Not a big deal. The deal right now is: do we have the courage?”

“And this gets back to the point I’m trying to make all night long,” he added. “Do we take on the healthcare industry and tell them their profits are not more important than health care for all?”

“Do we take on the fossil fuel industry?” he asked, arguing that they have been “lying for years.”

“What Joe is saying goes nowhere near enough. It’s not a question of money,” he added.

Sanders’ climate change proposal comes with a $16.3 trillion price tag.