[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 762 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 762
Recognizing the 4th anniversary of the adoption of the international
Paris Agreement on climate change.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 12, 2019
Mr. Lowenthal (for himself, Mr. Beyer, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Blumenauer,
Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr.
Case, Mr. Casten of Illinois, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Clay, Mr.
Cleaver, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Correa, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Engel, Ms. Gabbard,
Ms. Haaland, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Heck, Mr. Higgins of New York, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Kildee,
Mr. Kilmer, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Mr. Foster, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Larsen of
Washington, Mr. Lipinski, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Meng, Mr.
Nadler, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Raskin, Mr.
Rouda, Mr. Rush, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Scott of Virginia,
Ms. Shalala, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Velazquez, Ms.
Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Welch, Mr. McEachin, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr.
Neguse, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Keating, Mr. Soto,
Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Dingell, and Mr.
Espaillat) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 4th anniversary of the adoption of the international
Paris Agreement on climate change.
Whereas the Paris Agreement, adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 4 years
ago on December 12, 2015, represents the first comprehensive agreement
among all nations to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius
compared with the preindustrial era;
Whereas the Paris Agreement urges efforts to limit global warming to one and a
half degrees Celsius;
Whereas 197 countries, including the United States, are parties to the UNFCCC,
the principal framework to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a
level that would prevent dangerous human-induced interference with the
climate system;
Whereas 197 parties have signed the Paris Agreement, and 187 parties have
ratified the Paris Agreement;
Whereas, on June 1, 2017, President Donald J. Trump announced his intention to
withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement;
Whereas, on November 4, 2019, the Trump administration gave the United Nations
formal notice of its intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris
Agreement, initiating the year-long withdrawal process;
Whereas the United States is set to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on
November 4, 2020, and would be the first and only signatory of the Paris
Agreement to withdraw;
Whereas the human influence on the climate system is unequivocal and evident
from the increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere,
positive radiative forcing, observed warming, and understanding of the
climate system;
Whereas according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, without
additional mitigation efforts, there is a very high risk that global
warming by the end of the twenty-first century will lead to severe,
widespread, and irreversible impacts globally;
Whereas according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special
Report on Climate Change and Land, the land surface air temperature has
risen nearly twice as much as the global average temperature since the
preindustrial period and climate change has adversely impacted food
security, contributing to desertification and land degradation, creating
stresses on land that exacerbate existing risks to livelihoods,
biodiversity, human and ecosystem health, infrastructure, and food
systems;
Whereas according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special
Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, sea level
continues to rise at an increasing rate, with the ocean projected to
experience increased temperatures, further acidification, oxygen
decline, and more frequent extreme whether events, exacerbating risks
for human communities in low-lying coastal areas;
Whereas according to the National Climate Assessment, impacts of climate change
are already being felt in communities across the United States;
Whereas according to the National Climate Assessment, the global average
temperature is projected to increase from 3 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit by
2100, which will cause a reduction in crop yields, alteration of
hydrological cycles, shrinkage of glaciers and ice sheets, thawing of
permafrost at high altitude, increase of flooding, wildfires, droughts,
heat waves, cyclones, and other extreme weather events, greater risk of
species extinctions, and more;
Whereas according to the National Climate Assessment, the relative sea level is
projected to rise between about 2.5 and 11.5 feet by 2100 while ocean
warming and acidification increases, causing a proportional increase in
destructive coastal storms and surges, disruption of ecosystems
including spawning and migration patterns of key fisheries, displacement
of people on vulnerable coastlines and islands, and more;
Whereas a 2017 Government Accountability Office report found that climate-
related impacts, such as coastal property damage, cost the Federal
Government $350 billion;
Whereas a November 2016 assessment by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
and the Council of Economic Advisers found that recurring costs as a
result of climate change could increase the Federal Government's
expenses by $12 billion to $35 billion a year by midcentury, possibly
reaching more than $100 billion annually by the end of the century;
Whereas climate change not only threatens our world's weather, biodiversity, and
ecosystems, but also threatens human security, economic vitality, and
social stability around the globe;
Whereas the effects of climate change will only exacerbate issues of resource
scarcity, including lack of access to primary natural resources such as
fresh water and arable land for food production, thereby contributing to
increased conflict, poverty, food insecurity, and instability;
Whereas this increased conflict and instability, as well as limited capacity to
adapt to extreme weather, may force large-scale displacement and
internal and cross-border migration of people, thereby contributing to
increased risks to human security and economic systems;
Whereas the impacts of climate change will often be most severely felt by poor
and socially excluded groups, such as ethnic minorities, women, older
people, and children, whose capacity to adapt to both rapid- and slow-
onset climate change is more limited;
Whereas the global community can limit the risks of climate change by reducing
emissions of greenhouse gases and strengthening the capacity of
communities to adapt to climate change;
Whereas to enable developing countries to combat climate change and adapt to its
impacts, developed countries will need to mobilize economic resources,
beginning with fulfilling their pledge of mobilizing $100 billion of
climate financing from both public and private sources annually
beginning in 2020, some of which will support the Green Climate Fund;
Whereas the United States pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28
percent below 2005 levels in the United States by 2025, and to
contribute $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund;
Whereas 29 States and the District of Columbia have adopted renewable portfolio
standard requirements, 23 States and the District of Columbia have
adopted greenhouse gas emissions targets, 26 States have adopted energy
efficiency resource standards, 13 States have adopted zero-emission or
low-emission vehicle targets, and 10 States have implemented the
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative;
Whereas more than 145 cities in the United States have adopted 100 percent clean
and renewable energy goals and six cities have already achieved this
goal;
Whereas more than 400 city leaders across the United States have joined the
Climate Mayors association, a bipartisan network of mayors working
together to lead on climate change through meaningful actions in their
communities, and to build political will for effective Federal and
global policy action for climate progress;
Whereas 24 States and Puerto Rico have joined the United States Climate
Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of Governors committed to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris
Agreement;
Whereas more than 3,000 businesses, cities and counties, colleges and
universities, cultural institutions, health care organizations, faith
groups, States, and Tribal nations have signed the We're Still In
declaration, a bipartisan group promising to world leaders that
Americans will not retreat from the global pact to reduce emissions and
stem the causes of climate change; and
Whereas the Paris Agreement secured commitments from other member countries,
including China and India, for a global agreement that could prevent
catastrophic changes to our climate system and thus to societies around
the world: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the 4th anniversary of the adoption of the
Paris Agreement;
(2) acknowledges it is the responsibility of humankind to
address the severe and global impacts of climate change;
(3) supports global efforts that will keep global warming
below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), including
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions;
(4) supports global efforts to protect those most
vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including
increasing the ambition of current climate financing goals;
(5) supports policies at the Federal, State, and local
levels that promote the reduction of greenhouse gas pollution
and aim to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement; and
(6) recommends that the United States remain a signatory to
the Paris Agreement.
<all>