[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 743 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 743

Expressing strong disapproval of the President's formal notification to 
the United Nations of his intent to withdraw the United States from the 
                            Paris Agreement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 5, 2019

Mr. Schneider (for himself, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. 
Connolly, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Speier, Ms. Clarke of New York, 
 Mr. Schiff, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. 
 Rush, Ms. Moore, Mr. Gonzalez of Texas, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. 
 Casten of Illinois, Mr. Foster, Ms. DelBene, Ms. McCollum, Mrs. Davis 
  of California, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. 
Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Blumenauer, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. 
 Welch, Mr. Pocan, Mrs. Torres of California, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. 
 Norton, Mr. Takano, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Heck, 
    Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Lipinski, Ms. Kelly of 
  Illinois, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Huffman, Mr. 
   O'Halleran, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Serrano, Mr. 
  Sherman, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. 
Lynch, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. Correa, 
 Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Stanton, Mr. Case, Ms. Pingree, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. 
 McEachin, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Kilmer, Ms. Underwood, Mr. Keating, Mr. 
Neguse, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Levin of California, Mr. Beyer, Mr. 
 Cleaver, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Pappas, Ms. Meng, Mr. Costa, Ms. 
 Bass, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Larson of 
  Connecticut, Mr. Aguilar, Mr. Crist, Mr. Courtney, Ms. Judy Chu of 
California, Mr. Schrader, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New 
 York, Mr. Soto, Mr. DeFazio, Miss Rice of New York, Ms. Gabbard, Mr. 
 Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Delgado, Mr. Cox of 
California, Mr. Kind, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Gallego, Mrs. Axne, Mr. Clay, Ms. 
     Eshoo, Ms. Frankel, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Ryan, Mr. 
    Lowenthal, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Peters, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. 
 DeGette, Ms. Schrier, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Rouda, Mr. 
Payne, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, 
    Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Finkenauer, Mr. Malinowski, Ms. Stevens, Ms. 
   Haaland, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. 
 McNerney, Mr. Engel, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Neal, Mr. Nadler, 
 Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. 
 Bera, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Titus, Mr. Sires, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Lewis, Mr. 
Lawson of Florida, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Swalwell of 
California, Ms. Waters, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Norcross, Ms. Fudge, and Ms. 
   Sewell of Alabama) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing strong disapproval of the President's formal notification to 
the United Nations of his intent to withdraw the United States from the 
                            Paris Agreement.

Whereas global climate change is a threat to the United States national 
        security, public health, national economy, and the legacy we will leave 
        to our children;
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, already 
        affecting the United States, and poses a dire threat to our well-being 
        and security if left unaddressed;
Whereas on November 23, 2018, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, a 
        collaboration of thirteen Federal agencies, released Volume II of its 
        Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) outlining the impact climate 
        change will have on human and societal welfare, including region-
        specific effects, and issues affecting natural resource management, 
        public health, emergency response, and other critical issues to national 
        well-being;
Whereas NCA4 makes clear that communities around the country are already facing 
        climate-driven impacts on human health such as extreme heat, expanded 
        exposure to vector-borne diseases, poor air quality, and weather events 
        that are displacing communities;
Whereas NCA4 found that reducing greenhouse gas emissions could, by the end of 
        the century, result in thousands of American lives saved and hundreds of 
        billions of dollars in health-related economic benefits gained each 
        year;
Whereas NCA4 highlighted that already-aging United States infrastructure, from 
        stormwater management to the electrical grid, would be stretched to its 
        limit in the face of Federal inaction toward combating climate change;
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 around one million species, 
        1 in 4, are at risk of extinction as a result of climate change;
Whereas the IPBES Global Assessment found that the reduction in global 
        biodiversity that is driven by climate changes threatens global food 
        security, and the NCA4 notes that climate change is expected to disrupt 
        United States agricultural productivity and threaten domestic crop 
        yields;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gonzalez stated at the 
        opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP25, that 
        ``choosing the path of hope is not the job of one person, one industry 
        or one government alone . . . the only solution is rapid, ambitious, 
        transformative action by all--governments, regions, cities, businesses 
        and civil society'', and that ``we made a commitment to the people of 
        the world through the Paris Agreement. It was a solemn promise . . . to 
        do anything less will be a betrayal of our entire human family and all 
        the generations to come.'';
Whereas the World Meteorological Organization's Provisional Statement on the 
        State of the Global Climate in 2019, released on December 3, 2019, 
        stated that 2019 ends the warmest decade on record and that greenhouse 
        gas concentrations have reached a record new high of 407.8 parts per 
        million;
Whereas the United Nations Environment Programme's Emissions Gap Report 2019, 
        released in November 2019, highlighted the significant work the global 
        community must undertake in order to overcome the shortcomings of 
        current commitments to keep global temperature rise to two degrees 
        Celsius, that greenhouse gas emissions continued to increase in 2019, 
        that G20 countries account for more than 75 percent of greenhouse gas 
        emissions, and that ``enhanced action by G20 members will be essential 
        for the global mitigation effort'';
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, including 6 Category 5 hurricanes in the past 4 years, 
        the issuance of the first-ever Extreme Red Flag Warning for wildfires, 
        and communities around the country regularly facing ``100 Year Floods'';
Whereas investing in energy efficiency and clean energy technologies is an 
        extraordinary job creation opportunity for the United States that 
        already employs more than 3,260,000 people, with solar and wind 
        technicians representing the first and second fastest-growing jobs in 
        the entire United States economy by 2026, respectively;
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 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 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 pre-industrial levels;
Whereas the Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, opened for 
        signature on April 22, 2016, and entered into force on November 4, 2016;
Whereas 197 parties are signatories and 187 are officially party to the Paris 
        Agreement, including the largest emitters of carbon pollution, China, 
        the European Union, and India;
Whereas if the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement, it would be the 
        only nation in the world to do so;
Whereas the United States, as one of the world's top emitters of carbon 
        pollution, has an obligation to participate in global efforts to curb 
        climate change;
Whereas the United States exit from the Paris Agreement will cede leadership on 
        clean energy technologies, and the jobs they create, to China, India, 
        and other nations;
Whereas a group of States, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, 
        Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, 
        Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North 
        Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, 
        Washington, Wisconsin, and the territory of Puerto Rico, have all joined 
        the United States Climate Alliance, a bipartisan group of States 
        committed to upholding the goals of the Paris Agreement;
Whereas more than 3,800 mayors, college and university leaders, businesses, and 
        investors in the United States announced their continued support for the 
        Paris Agreement;
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; and
Whereas millions of Americans have made their voices heard in support of the 
        Paris Agreement, and the United States upholding its commitments to the 
        international community to reduce carbon pollution for the benefit of 
        good-paying jobs, healthy families, and a sustainable future for our 
        environment now and in future generations: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) strongly disapproves of the President's formal 
        notification to the United Nations of his intent to withdraw 
        the United States from the Paris Agreement;
            (2) commends the group of States, cities, colleges and 
        universities, businesses, investors, and individuals who have 
        publicly expressed their support for the Paris Agreement; and
            (3) urges the President to reverse his decision and 
        maintain United States participation in the Paris Agreement.
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