Rising US political star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave a fiery defence after her Green New Deal failed in the Senate.
She countered claims that her proposed climate change legislation was elitist in a thunderous display of masterful oratory.
The sheer display of commitment contained in the short speech was enough to make her words go viral on social media.
Citing examples from Flint, Michigan, where an ongoing crisis has left thousands relying on bottled water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing, the Democrat Representative tore into the suggestion that her environmental legislature was elitist.
She also drew attention to the plight of children growing up in the South Bronx, who suffer the highest rates of asthma in the US.
Opening her statement, she argued: ‘This is serious, this should not be a partisan issue.’
The pressing need for change evident in her language should resonate in Pakistan, a country in which as many as 22% of yearly deaths can be attributed to air pollution, according to a report by the medical journal Lancet.
Further evidence for the decline of Pakistan’s natural environment came last year when Lahore was found to have the second worst air-pollution out of every major city on earth.
It is also a sad truth that the water crisis in Flint pails in comparison to the country-wide water pollution crisis in Pakistan.
Surface and groundwater drinking sources all over the country are contaminated with bacteria, toxic metals and pesticides.
It is estimated that water-borne diseases kill a quarter of a million Pakistani children every year.
‘We are facing a national crisis’, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez told the committee hearing.
Nowhere should her words be heeded more closely than in Pakistan, where it is clear that the country must act swiftly to combat the environmental challenges it faces.
But moreover, there are lessons to be learned from the steadfast commitment shown by the congresswoman to improving and protecting the environment for the future.
Pakistan’s politicians must fight with equal dedication for the health, safety and prosperity of its people.
