Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., spoke out on Monday about the urgency to take on climate change, comparing it to World War II.

Speaking at an event commemorating Martin Luther King Day, Ocasio-Cortez expressed how the issue of climate change is a “generational” issue that younger people are more focused on.

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“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 gonna pay for it?'" Ocasio-Cortez said.

The Democratic Socialist said the fight against climate change is war and that it’s “our World War II.”

While a steady stream of international reports have raised alarm about climate change, they stop markedly short of predicting the end of the world.

A widely publicized study last fall by a United Nations panel said the world should take “unprecedented” actions to cut carbon emissions in the next decade – this, to avoid rising past 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels.

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In November, the White House released another report that found the impacts of climate change are being felt across the country, and “extreme weather and climate-related events” are going to worsen in the years to come -- with a significant impact on the economy.

The National Climate Assessment found that extreme weather disasters “ have already become more frequent, intense, widespread or of long duration and have cost the U.S. nearly $400 billion since 2015.”

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Ocasio-Cortez has forged a reputation for making bold, at-times factually incomplete statements. She recently lashed out at fact-checkers, accusing those scrutinizing her statements of "false equivalency" and "bias," before backing down on the criticism.

Ocasio-Cortez has made waves ever since she won the upset victory in New York against incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley, who was a top Democrat in Congress at the time. She is now the outspoken advocate of the Green New Deal, which is meant to address economic inequality and climate change.