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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E993-E994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS RESOLUTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
______
HON. JAMES P. MCGOVERN
of massachusetts
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise to include in the Record the
following resolution on climate change, adopted by the American
Association of Geographers on April 3, 2019.
[From the American Association of Geographers, April 3, 2019]
AAG Resolution on Climate Change 1
(Adopted by the AAG Council)
Whereas: The American Association of Geographers (AAG) is a
nonprofit scientific and educational society founded in 1904
with close to 12,000 members in 2019 who are located in the
United States and nearly 100 other countries;
Whereas: The objectives of the Association are to further
professional investigations in geography and to encourage the
application of geographic findings in education, government,
and business;
Whereas: Gilbert F. White (1911-2006) was among the most
distinguished and honored American geographers of the 20th
Century who stimulated efforts to foster and improve human
adjustments to the risks of our endangered planet through
better-informed public and private sector decision-making;
Whereas: Gilbert F. White was awarded the National Medal of
Science by President Clinton in 2000 for ``major
contributions to the study of water systems in developing
countries, global environmental change, international
cooperation, nuclear winter, geography education and the
mitigation of natural hazards including earthquakes,
hurricanes, and drought;''
Whereas: The planet is now experiencing more frequent, more
intense, and more costly disasters associated with
anthropogenic climate change in the forms of prolonged
drought, wildfires, intensified hurricanes, coastal and river
flooding and extreme temperatures. Deglaciation of
mountainous regions threatens water supplies and hydropower
generation for hundreds of millions of people in Asia,
Europe, western Latin America, and the Pacific Northwest.
Accelerated melting of Arctic and Antarctic land ice will
cause rising sea levels to inundate portions of coastal
cities worldwide by mid-century;
Whereas: At the global scale, the last four years have been
the hottest on record. One-fifth of all corals have died in
the past three years. World carbon emissions rose 2.7 percent
in 2018 despite efforts by many nations to meet the goals of
the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement;
Whereas: As climate change renders vast areas of the globe
uninhabitable, mass population migrations and competition for
water, arable land, and living space will heighten the
likelihood of armed conflict, either conventional or nuclear;
Whereas: Gilbert F. White challenged professional
geographers to study and communicate the risks of our
endangered planet and to help stimulate responsible policies
and decisions by all sectors of human society;
Therefore be it resolved that: In the spirit of Gilbert F.
White, the American Association of Geographers urges the
Government of the United States to resume its leadership in
combating climate change, including (but not limited to)
strategies that:
1. Recognize human activities as the preeminent cause of
accelerating climate change, as emphatically concluded by the
International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Fourth
U.S. National Climate Assessment, among many other
authoritative studies around the world;
2. Reaffirm U.S. commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement,
and--in cooperation with the international community--
intensify efforts to limit emissions of greenhouse gasses to
control further rise in global temperatures;
3. Ratify Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol to
limit hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) production and consumption;
4. Encourage transition of the U.S. economy to embrace
energy conservation and substitution of sustainable energy
sources in place of fossil fuels;
5. Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through
incentives, taxes, regulations, public transit, carbon
recapture and other means;
6. Promote continued innovation by states and local
governments and the private sector to conserve energy and
reduce dependence on fossil fuels (e.g. through ``LEED''
green building codes, reforestation and reduced
deforestation, watershed management, sustainable
transportation, and other means);
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7. Stimulate public and private sector decision-makers to
prepare for rapid-onset impacts of climate change (e.g.
wildfire, electrical grid failure, fuel and water shortages,
and coastal flooding) through enhanced emergency response,
relief, and recovery capabilities;
8. Reaffirm that climate change policy at all levels of
society from international to local must be based on sound,
verifiable science as reflected in the IPCC reports, the U.S.
National Climate Assessment Reports, and other authoritative
studies by scientists around the world;
Be it further resolved that: The AAG will publicize this
resolution to government leaders, to other scientific bodies,
and to the general public through a press release and other
available means. The MG should further encourage its
membership to stimulate public understanding of climate
change and its potential impacts (including armed conflicts)
through relevant research, teaching, publications, and
participation in public forums, study panels, oped columns,
blog posts, and other available means.
____________________
