[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 98 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 98

  Recognizing the disparate impact of climate change on women and the 
          efforts of women globally to address climate change.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 2, 2009

   Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. McCollum, Ms. 
   Baldwin, Mr. Butterfield, Mrs. Capps, Ms. Clarke, Ms. Edwards of 
   Maryland, Ms. Speier, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Kucinich, Mrs. 
    Christensen, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, and Mr. Payne) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the disparate impact of climate change on women and the 
          efforts of women globally to address climate change.

Whereas the month of March is recognized as Women's History Month, and was 
        celebrated in 2009 in accordance with the theme ``Women Taking the Lead 
        to Save our Planet'', during which time our Nation highlights the 
        contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society;
Whereas women in the United States and around the world are the linchpin of 
        families and communities and are often the first to feel the immediate 
        and adverse affects of social, environmental, and economic stresses on 
        their families and communities;
Whereas the United Nations has recognized, as one of the central organizing 
        principles for its work, that ``no enduring solution to society's most 
        threatening social, economic and political problems can be found without 
        the full participation, and the full empowerment, of the world's 
        women'';
Whereas the United Nations Development Programme 2007/2008 Human Development 
        Report has emphasized that climate change is a substantial threat to 
        development and poverty alleviation, requiring immediate action;
Whereas climate change is already forcing vulnerable communities in developing 
        countries to face unprecedented climate stress, including water scarcity 
        and drought, severe weather events and floods, reduced agricultural 
        productivity, and increased disease;
Whereas climate change exacerbates issues of scarcity and lack of accessibility 
        to primary natural resources, forest resources, and arable land, thereby 
        contributing to increased conflict and instability, as well as the 
        workload and stresses on women and girls, who are estimated to produce 
        60 to 80 percent of the food in most developing countries;
Whereas women will disproportionately face harmful impacts from climate change, 
        particularly in poor and developing nations where women regularly assume 
        increased responsibility for growing the family's food and collecting 
        water, fuel, and other resources;
Whereas infectious disease epidemics, such as malaria, are expected to worsen 
        and spread due to variations in climate, putting women and children 
        without access to prevention and medical services at risk;
Whereas conflict has a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable 
        populations including women, and is fueled in the world's poorest 
        regions by harsher climate, leading to migration, refugee crises, and 
        conflicts over scarce natural resources including land and water;
Whereas it is predicted that climate change will lead to increasing frequency 
        and intensity of extreme weather conditions, precipitating the 
        occurrence of natural disasters around the globe;
Whereas recent studies indicate that women and children are 14 times more likely 
        to die than men during natural disasters;
Whereas the relocation and death of women, and especially mothers, as a result 
        of climate-related disasters often has devastating impacts on social 
        support networks, family ties, and the coping capacity of families and 
        communities;
Whereas women in the United States are also particularly affected by climate-
        related disasters, as evidenced in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the 
        Gulf Coast region, which displaced over 83 percent of low-income, single 
        mothers;
Whereas the ability of women to adapt to climate change is constrained by a lack 
        of economic freedoms, property and inheritance rights, as well as access 
        to financial resources, education, and new tools, equipment, and 
        technology;
Whereas, despite a unique capacity and knowledge to promote and provide for 
        adaptation to climate change, women often have insufficient resources to 
        undertake such adaptation;
Whereas women are often underrepresented in the development and formulation of 
        policy regarding adaptation to climate change, even though they are 
        often in the best position to provide and consult on adaptive 
        strategies; and
Whereas the celebration of Women's History Month, coinciding annually with 
        International Women's Day on March 8th, serves as a yearly reminder of 
        ongoing efforts to promote and protect the equal rights of women as well 
        as their equal participation in the political and economic process: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the disparate impacts of climate change on 
        women and the efforts of women globally to address climate 
        change;
            (2) encourages the use of gender-sensitive frameworks in 
        developing policies to address climate change, which account 
        for the specific impacts of climate change on women;
            (3) affirms its commitment to support women who are 
        particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts to prepare 
        for, build their resilience, and adapt to those impacts;
            (4) affirms its commitment to empower women to have a voice 
        in the planning and implementation of strategies to address 
        climate change so that their roles and resources are taken into 
        account; and
            (5) encourages the President to--
                    (A) consider the impacts of climate change on women 
                while developing policies and programs in the United 
                States that are globally related to climate change; and
                    (B) ensure that those policies and programs support 
                women globally to prepare for, build resilience for, 
                and adapt to climate change.
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