[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 755 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 755
Expressing support for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Glasgow and reaffirming the United States commitment to
international cooperation combating climate change.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 28, 2021
Mr. Schneider (for himself, Mr. Keating, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Adams, Mr.
Allred, Ms. Bass, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Bera, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms.
Blunt Rochester, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Brown, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Carson, Mr.
Cartwright, Mr. Case, Mr. Casten, Ms. Chu, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Clark of
Massachusetts, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cohen, Mr.
Connolly, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Costa, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Crist, Ms. Davids of
Kansas, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. DeGette, Ms.
DelBene, Mrs. Demings, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Deutch, Ms. Barragan, Mrs.
Dingell, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Eshoo,
Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Evans, Mr. Foster, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Mr.
Gallego, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Higgins
of New York, Mr. Himes, Ms. Norton, Mr. Horsford, Ms. Houlahan, Mr.
Huffman, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kaptur, Ms. Kelly of
Illinois, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Kind, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr.
Langevin, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mrs. Lawrence, Ms. Lee of
California, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Levin of California, Mr. Levin of
Michigan, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Malinowski, Mrs. Carolyn B.
Maloney of New York, Ms. Manning, Ms. Matsui, Ms. McCollum, Mr.
McEachin, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McNerney, Ms. Meng, Mr. Mfume, Ms. Moore of
Wisconsin, Mr. Moulton, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Nadler, Mrs.
Napolitano, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Newman, Mr. O'Halleran, Ms. Omar, Mr.
Panetta, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Peters, Mr. Phillips, Ms. Pingree, Ms.
Porter, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Raskin, Miss Rice
of New York, Ms. Ross, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Rush, Mr. Sablan, Ms.
Sanchez, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Sewell,
Mr. Sherman, Mr. Sires, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Soto, Ms.
Spanberger, Ms. Speier, Mr. Stanton, Ms. Stevens, Ms. Strickland, Mr.
Suozzi, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr.
Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Titus, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Torres of New York,
Mr. Vargas, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mrs.
Watson Coleman, Mr. Welch, Ms. Wild, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms.
Wilson of Florida, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Auchincloss, and Mr. Sarbanes)
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
Expressing support for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Glasgow and reaffirming the United States commitment to
international cooperation combating climate change.
Whereas global climate change is an immediate threat to the United States
national security, public health, national economy, and the legacy we
will leave to our children;
Whereas leaders of the world's religious communities recognize the grave threat
to humanity posed by climate change and our moral obligation to protect
the Earth and its people publicly have called upon politicians, business
leaders, and the faithful to take action to address climate change;
Whereas the most vulnerable communities, including communities of color, women,
children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, low-income
communities, and those with underlying health conditions, face even
greater health risks as a result of climate change;
Whereas the United States is already seeing climate change exacerbate extreme
weather events, with 2020 seeing the most active Atlantic hurricane
season on record with 30 named storms and six major hurricanes, the 2019
issuance of the first-ever Extreme Red Flag Warning for wildfires,
hundreds of thousands of acres in the Western United States currently or
recently experiencing devastating wildfires, and communities around the
country regularly facing ``100-Year Floods'';
Whereas there is expert-level consensus within the Federal Government, from the
intelligence community and Department of Defense to the Department of
Agriculture, Department of Transportation, and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, that climate change is real, currently
impacting the United States, and poses a dire threat to our well-being
and national security if left unaddressed;
Whereas, on November 23, 2018, the United States Global Change Research Program,
a collaboration of thirteen Federal agencies, released volume II of its
fourth National Climate Assessment outlining the impact climate change
will have on human and societal welfare, increased major severe weather
events, adverse impacts on national infrastructure, and significant
consequences for human health, in the face of Federal inaction toward
combating climate change;
Whereas, on August 6, 2021, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) released its Working Group I report which found
that, unless immediate and broad reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
are made by the international community, it will be impossible to limit
global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, the warming level which the
scientific community believes will precipitate catastrophic climate-
related consequences;
Whereas the IPCC Working Group I report found that continued global warming will
cause increasingly intense rainfall, flooding, and droughts, sea levels
rising and more severe coastal flooding, and further melting of glaciers
and ice sheets;
Whereas, on September 29, 2021, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
proposed the removal of 23 species from the Federal Lists of Endangered
and Threatened Wildlife due to extinction, listing climate change as a
central variable driving the increased extinction of a variety of
species;
Whereas, on May 6, 2019, the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy
Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released its
updated Global Assessment, which found that approximately one million
species, 1 in 4, are at risk of extinction as a direct result of climate
change;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the
IPCC Working Group I report is a ``code red for humanity . . .
[G]reenhouse-gas emissions from fossil-fuel burning and deforestation
are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate
risk,'' and that ``[g]reenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels.
Extreme weather and climate disasters are increasing in frequency and
intensity. That is why this year's United Nations climate conference in
Glasgow is so important'';
Whereas the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report 2020,
released in December 2020, highlighted that, while the COVID-19 has
caused a slight reduction in carbon emissions, reduction targets will
not be met ``unless countries pursue an economic recovery that
incorporates strong decarbonization,'' and that ``[i]t is not too late
to seize future opportunities'' in order for emissions reduction targets
under the Paris Agreement to be met;
Whereas the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2020 also highlights the important role of
nature-based solutions such as large-scale landscape restoration and
reforestation, both in the United States and around the world, in order
to meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement;
Whereas the United Nations Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation 2020
Annual Report highlights the critical role of continued and sustained
reduction in deforestation and forest degradation around the world, the
difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic has presented in slowing
deforestation, and the central role that this effort has in combating
climate change;
Whereas, in September 2021, the Department of Defense released its Climate
Adaptation Plan highlighting climate change's significant threat to
American national security and identifying ways climate change impacts
the United States defense posture, including climate-related
vulnerabilities of American defense installations, the role of climate
change as a threat multiplier driving regional conflict, the potential
for disruptions in the defense supply chain, and substantial ongoing
operational challenges due to climate change;
Whereas, in September 2021, the Department of Homeland Security released its
Climate Action Plan addressing climate change's impact on domestic
security, identifying the potential for weather events to disrupt
emergency communications infrastructure, the expected increasing of
severe domestic weather events driving loss of life and property while
straining Federal resources, and the potential for climate-related
phenomena to drive regional migration;
Whereas investing in energy efficiency and clean energy technologies is an
extraordinary job creation opportunity for the United States that
already employs more than 3 million people, with solar and wind
technicians being among the fastest growing jobs in the entire United
States economy;
Whereas the United States can lead the world in innovation and manufacturing
clean energy technologies, creating good-paying jobs, modernizing the
energy grid, and growing new companies that will be the titans of a new,
clean energy economy;
Whereas domestic clean energy jobs continue to be among the fastest growing
occupations despite a temporary setback from the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas President Joseph R. Biden announced his intent to rejoin the Paris
Agreement on January 20, 2021, reaffirming the United States commitment
to fight against climate change and to collectively work with the
international community toward that goal;
Whereas the Paris Agreement is an international accord that aims to limit the
increase in global temperatures to less than two degrees Celsius and
urges efforts to limit the increase to one and a half degrees Celsius
above preindustrial levels;
Whereas the Paris Agreement highlights the importance of environmental justice
and equity in our climate solutions, particularly in light of the impact
climate change is expected to have on vulnerable communities around the
globe;
Whereas 195 parties are signatories and 191 are officially party to the Paris
Agreement, including the largest emitters of carbon pollution, China,
the European Union, and India;
Whereas the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) is scheduled
to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, between October 31 and November 12,
2021;
Whereas the goals of COP26 are to--
(1) secure global net-zero by 2050 and work together to ensure the 1.5
degrees Celsius global warming threshold is not exceeded;
(2) facilitate all countries to protect and restore ecosystems already
impacted by climate change, and to enhance our resiliency and adaptation
towards the future expected impacts of climate change;
(3) work to ensure international financial contributions toward climate
are mobilized; and
(4) work to finalize the Paris rulebook to make the Paris Agreement
operational and work to accelerate global action on climate through
mobilization of government, businesses, and civil society; and
Whereas the United States, historically as one of the world's top emitters of
carbon pollution, has an obligation to actively participate in global
efforts to curb climate change: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) applauds the Biden administration for reaffirming
United States commitment to the Paris Agreement specifically
and to our collective responsibility to globally combat climate
change;
(2) encourages the Biden administration to implement
specific measures to ensure global climate change remains a top
priority for this and future administrations and to cement the
United States as a global leader in the fight to mitigate its
most severe consequences;
(3) voices our strong commitment as legislators toward
achieving the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, fulfilling
the forthcoming pledges from the COP26 in Glasgow, and
advancing other international efforts to keep global warming to
no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius and realize global net-zero
carbon emissions by 2050 using a whole-of-government approach;
and
(4) recognizes the critical responsibility of the United
States and other developed nations to ensure all societies have
the capabilities to transition to a clean energy economy, the
resources to protect against climate-induced disasters, and the
necessary assistance to endure climate-related challenges to
food security, regional migration, and public health.
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