Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y) on Wednesday responded to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders telling her to leave climate change up to a “much higher authority” by invoking the Bible.
While not quoting specific verses, the freshman lawmaker invoked scripture in defense of her impassioned pleas to address climate change.{mosads}
“Genesis 1: God looked on the world & called it good not once, not twice, but seven times,” she tweeted. “Genesis 2: God commands all people to ‘serve and protect’ creation.”
“Leviticus: God mandates that not only the people, but the land that sustains them, shall be respected,” she added.
“You shouldn’t need a Bible to tell you to protect our planet, but it does anyway,” she wrote in a follow-up tweet.
The lawmaker appeared to be paraphrasing a Relevant magazine article from last year titled, “Stopping Climate Change Is a Part of Following Jesus.” The article included adapted translations of specific biblical passages.
Ocasio-Cortez has frequently used her Twitter account to spar with critics and promote her progressive messaging.
Her latest tweets came after Sanders pushed back on her comments that “the world is gonna end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.”
Sanders responded to the claim Tuesday night on Fox News.
“I don’t think that we are going to listen to her on much of anything, particularly anything that we will leave into the hands of a much, much higher authority,” Sanders told host Sean Hannity. “And certainly not listen to the freshman congresswoman on when the world may end.”