September 25, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 155 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S5711-S5712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 342--EXPRESSING THE NEED FOR IMMEDIATE CLIMATE ACTION 
IN RESPONSE TO THE REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL 
ON CLIMATE CHANGE ENTITLED ``SPECIAL REPORT ON THE OCEAN AND CRYOSPHERE 
                        IN A CHANGING CLIMATE''

  Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. 
Booker) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 342

       Whereas every person on the planet benefits from a healthy 
     ocean and a stable cryosphere;
       Whereas the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the 
     surface of the Earth;
       Whereas the cryosphere includes the frozen components of 
     the system of the Earth, including snow, glaciers, ice 
     sheets, ice shelves, icebergs, sea ice, and permafrost;
       Whereas glaciers, ice sheets, and permanent snow hold 
     approximately 69 percent of the freshwater on Earth;
       Whereas the ocean generates the oxygen that humans breathe, 
     regulates the climate and weather patterns, supplies food, is 
     a source of cultural value, supports tourism and trade, and 
     is an untapped renewable energy resource;
       Whereas the ocean contributes an estimated 
     $1,500,000,000,000 in value added to the global economy, 
     including a United States fishing industry valued at 
     $212,000,000,000, which is a critical economic driver in the 
     United States;
       Whereas the ocean and cryosphere support biodiversity and 
     regulate the global exchange of water, energy, and carbon;
       Whereas, on September 25, 2019, the United Nations 
     Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report 
     entitled ``Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a 
     Changing Climate'' (in this preamble referred to as the 
     ``SROCC'');
       Whereas the SROCC is the most comprehensive scientific 
     assessment of the effects of climate change on the ocean and 
     coasts and on polar and mountain ecosystems to date;
       Whereas more than 100 scientists from 36 countries produced 
     the SROCC, and the SROCC was reviewed by thousands of 
     scientific experts from around the world;
       Whereas, according to the SROCC--
       (1) since 1970, the ocean has taken up more than 90 percent 
     of excess heat in the climate system, and the ocean has 
     warmed as a direct result of anthropogenic greenhouse gas 
     emissions;
       (2) from 1982 to 2016, marine heatwaves very likely doubled 
     in frequency, and marine heatwaves are very likely to become 
     longer-lasting, more intense, and more extensive;
       (3) since 1993, the rate of ocean warming has more than 
     doubled;
       (4) since the 1980s, the ocean has very likely absorbed up 
     to 30 percent of total anthropogenic carbon, causing the 
     ocean to become more acidic;
       (5) the ocean is losing oxygen at an unprecedented rate, 
     and oxygen loss will very likely emerge over 59 to 80 percent 
     of the ocean surface by 2031 through 2050;
       (6) since the 1980s, harmful algal blooms have expanded and 
     increased in frequency in coastal environments as a result of 
     ocean warming, acidification, and oxygen loss;
       (7) in some regions, fish and shellfish stocks are already 
     on the brink of collapsing;
       (8) environmental stressors, such as ocean acidification, 
     oxygen loss, and warming ocean temperatures, are expected to 
     further compromise the abundance, productivity, and food-web 
     interactions of species;
       (9) the decrease in biodiversity and decline and shifts in 
     distribution of fisheries will affect the livelihoods and 
     food security of coastal communities;
       (10) warmer ocean temperatures are fueling extreme weather 
     events;
       (11) rare extreme sea level events are expected to occur 
     frequently by 2050;
       (12) in the absence of significant adaptation efforts, 
     extreme events associated with sea level rise, such as 
     erosion, flooding, and salinization, are expected to 
     significantly increase;
       (13) during the 20th century, nearly 50 percent of coastal 
     wetlands were lost, and 20 to 90 percent of coastal wetlands 
     are projected to be lost by 2100 as a result of sea level 
     rise and habitat degradation;
       (14) coastal blue carbon ecosystems can contribute to 
     climate mitigation by storing carbon;
       (15) river runoff in snow-dominated and glacier-fed basins 
     are projected to change in response to projected snow cover 
     and glacier decline;
       (16) glacial and snow meltwater reductions have resulted in 
     reduced water supply, declined agriculture productivity, and 
     increased wildfires in mountain regions and the Arctic;
       (17) tourism and outdoor recreation activities have been 
     negatively affected by the cryosphere decline;
       (18) Arctic sea ice is declining in all months of the year 
     and summers free of sea ice are increasingly likely under 2 
     degrees Celsius of global warming;
       (19) in the last 2 decades, Arctic surface air temperatures 
     have likely increased by more than double the global average, 
     resulting in more sea ice and snow cover loss; and
       (20) widespread thaw and degradation of permafrost is 
     projected to occur this century and is anticipated to release 
     tens to hundreds of billions of tons of carbon dioxide and 
     methane into the atmosphere;
       Whereas the United States is already facing the 
     consequences of inaction on climate change;
       Whereas communities of color, indigenous communities, and 
     low-income communities often face the disproportionate 
     effects of inaction on climate change;
       Whereas reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to 
     a clean energy economy, and investing in climate adaptation 
     efforts can support good-paying jobs;
       Whereas, in 2018, the United Nations Intergovernmental 
     Panel on Climate Change released a special report entitled 
     ``Global Warming of 1.5 C'', which found that to limit

[[Page S5712]]

     global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, net global greenhouse 
     gas emissions must be reduced to 45 percent below 2010 levels 
     by 2030 and 100 percent below 2010 levels, or net zero, by 
     2050; and
       Whereas, as Congress enacts policies to put the United 
     States on a path to net-zero emissions, there is an 
     opportunity and need for the ocean to be part of the climate 
     solution: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes and accepts the findings of the report of 
     the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 
     entitled ``Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a 
     Changing Climate'';
       (2) commits to supporting ocean-centric solutions to the 
     climate crisis in conjunction with policies to reduce 
     greenhouse gas emissions; and
       (3) affirms that immediate action is needed to reduce 
     greenhouse gas emissions to protect the health of the ocean 
     and the stability of the cryosphere.

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