[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5040 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5040

 To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a strategy of 
the Department of State and the United States Agency for International 
 Development to address the global climate change crisis, improve the 
    energy and resource efficiency of the Department, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 17, 2020

  Mr. Cardin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a strategy of 
the Department of State and the United States Agency for International 
 Development to address the global climate change crisis, improve the 
    energy and resource efficiency of the Department, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Climate Change Diplomacy and 
Development Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The planet risks increasingly catastrophic impacts 
        unless global average temperatures are limited to no more than 
        2 C, aiming for 1.5 C above preindustrial levels.
            (2) According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
        Change's Special Report on 1.5 C, limiting warming to no more 
        than 1.5 C requires fast mitigation of both CO<INF>2</INF> and 
        non-CO<INF>2</INF> climate pollutants, as well as the 
        protection and expansion of forests and other sinks that remove 
        and store CO<INF>2</INF>, along with other strategies for 
        removing CO<INF>2</INF> and other climate pollutants.
            (3) Forced displacement and forced migration are 
        increasingly caused or exacerbated by environmental changes and 
        climate-induced disruptions.
            (4) The United National Human Rights Council has recognized 
        that climate change poses an existential threat that has 
        already had a negative impact on the fulfillment of human 
        rights.
            (5) To have a chance at limiting warming to 1.5 C and 
        avoiding increasingly severe impacts from climate change, the 
        Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that 
        global net anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions must fall by 
        45 percent from global 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero 
        by 2050.
            (6) Failure to act on the climate crisis leads to higher 
        levels of warming and exposes all regions of the world to 
        potentially catastrophic insecurity and destabilization that 
        could cause a breakdown of economies, social systems, and 
        political institutions in ways that are likely irreversible. It 
        is in the interest of the United States to place a high 
        priority on strengthening the global response to the threat of 
        climate change.
            (7) United States leadership and ingenuity are central to 
        solving the climate crisis. The United States must act 
        urgently, guided by science, and in concert with the 
        international community to significantly reduce emissions, 
        prepare for climate impacts, and drive progress through 
        international negotiations to maintain a livable climate for 
        today and future generations.
            (8) The United States can also build strong scientific and 
        security partnerships and reinforce the United States ability 
        to lead on other key global priorities through climate 
        diplomacy. These efforts can foster climate security while 
        creating new opportunities for United States leadership, 
        economic growth, and innovation.
            (9) The United States is a Party to the United Nations 
        Framework Convention on Climate Change (referred to in this Act 
        as the ``Convention''), as agreed to by the advice and consent 
        of the Senate on October 7, 1992, and should remain actively 
        engaged in the Convention.
            (10) In Paris, on December 12, 2015, parties to the 
        Convention reached a landmark agreement to strengthen the 
        global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a 
        global temperature rise well below 2 C above pre-industrial 
        levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase 
        even further to 1.5 C.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should--
            (1) utilize multilateral and bilateral foreign assistance 
        to promote low-carbon, climate-resilient development, including 
        supporting greater participation of women in the development 
        and implementation of climate policies that are gender-
        responsive; and
            (2) advance clean energy and climate resilience through 
        budgeting and operations of United States Government facilities 
        abroad.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Adaptation.--The term ``adaptation'' means an 
        adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing 
        environment that exploits beneficial opportunities or moderates 
        negative effects.
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (3) Clean energy.--The term ``clean energy'' means any 
        electricity generation, transmission, storage, heating, 
        cooling, industrial process, or manufacturing project the 
        primary purpose of which is the deployment, development, or 
        production of an energy system or technology that avoids, 
        significantly reduces, or sequesters emissions of greenhouse 
        gas or other pollutants.
            (4) Climate change.--The term ``climate change'' means 
        anthropogenic changes in average weather conditions that 
        persist over multiple decades or longer, and encompasses both 
        increases and decreases in temperature, as well as shifts in 
        precipitation, changing risk of certain types of severe weather 
        events, and changes to other features of the climate system.
            (5) Climate security.--The term ``climate security'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 120 of the National 
        Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3060).
            (6) Mitigation.--The term ``mitigation'' means measures to 
        reduce the amount or speed of future climate change, including 
        by reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases or removing carbon 
        dioxide from the atmosphere.
            (7) Resilient.--The term ``resilient'' means the capability 
        to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, or recover from 
        significant multihazard threats with minimum damage to social 
        well-being, health, the economy, or the environment.

SEC. 4. STRATEGY FOR GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE DIPLOMACY AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Strategy.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
(USAID), shall--
            (1) develop, in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Office of the Director 
        of National Intelligence, the heads of any other relevant 
        Federal departments or agencies, and domestic and international 
        civil society and organizations with experience researching or 
        implementing policies and programs dealing with the climate 
        crisis, a ``Joint Department of State and USAID Strategy to 
        Address the Global Climate Change Crisis'' (in this section 
        referred to as the ``Strategy'');
            (2) designate the Department of State's Bureau of Oceans 
        and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs to 
        coordinate Department of State and USAID efforts to guide 
        United States foreign policy related to global climate change 
        in order to--
                    (A) confront risks to United States national 
                security, including geopolitical, commercial, economic, 
                environmental, financial, and health interests;
                    (B) advance United States prosperity; and
                    (C) restore United States leadership through 
                climate change diplomacy; and
            (3) submit to the appropriate congressional committees the 
        Strategy.
    (b) Elements.--The Strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall at a minimum--
            (1) include an assessment of the global threat of climate 
        change, including geographic or country prioritization based on 
        the assessed threat to the United States and its allies;
            (2) identify Department of State and USAID goals, 
        objectives, and priorities for United States policy on climate 
        change to protect United States national security (including 
        the interests specified in subsection (a)(2)(A)), including--
                    (A) examining how the United States will engage 
                diplomatically and utilize foreign assistance to ensure 
                parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on 
                Climate Change collectively move toward a pathway 
                consistent with holding the increase in the global 
                average temperature to well below 2 C above pre-
                industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the 
                temperature increase to 1.5 C above pre-industrial 
                levels, taking into account each country's domestic 
                circumstances and capabilities;
                    (B) outlining an approach to utilize multilateral 
                and bilateral foreign assistance to promote low-carbon, 
                climate-resilient development;
                    (C) integrating into diplomatic fora and 
                development programs issues related to gender and the 
                impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable 
                countries and communities;
                    (D) articulating guidelines for international 
                finance flows consistent with a pathway toward low 
                greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient 
                development;
                    (E) mobilizing public and private sector finance to 
                support low-carbon, climate-resilient development, 
                including through the Green Climate Fund; and
                    (F) reflecting the input of other executive branch 
                agencies, as appropriate;
            (3) describe the coordination mechanisms within the 
        Department of State and USAID, including diplomatic missions, 
        for developing and implementing efforts to advance United 
        States global climate change foreign policy, including with 
        regard to climate security policy, conflict mitigation, 
        economic policy, and geographic policy parameters;
            (4) describe how the Department of State plans to build on 
        any existing frameworks, policies, or programs to--
                    (A) adapt or expand existing Department programs, 
                projects, activities, or policy instruments based on 
                existing authorities for the specific purpose of 
                addressing or mitigating the effects of global climate 
                change;
                    (B) consider how compliance with international 
                climate agreements affects the global economy, 
                including in terms of employment, trade, and 
                investment; and
                    (C) identify the need for any new Department 
                programs, projects, activities, or policy instruments 
                for the specific purpose of addressing or mitigating 
                the effects of global climate change and describe the 
                steps and resources necessary to establish such 
                programs, projects, activities, or instruments, noting 
                whether such steps or resources would require new 
                statutory authorities; and
            (5) demonstrate how the President's Budget for State, 
        Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPs) allocates 
        resources in support of the Strategy, including for Department 
        of State and USAID operations and foreign assistance programs, 
        including security assistance.
    (c) Form.--The Strategy shall be submitted in unclassified form, 
but may include a classified annex as appropriate.
    (d) Implementation.--Not later than three months after the 
submission of the Strategy, the Secretary of State and the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
shall begin implementing the Strategy.
    (e) Consultation.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and not less often than annually thereafter, the 
Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development shall jointly consult with the appropriate 
congressional committees regarding the development and implementation 
of the Strategy.
    (f) Climate Change Diplomacy Reporting Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 240 days after the 
        submission of the Strategy, and annually thereafter, the 
        Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees a report that outlines progress that 
        the Department of State and USAID have made regarding 
        implementation of the Strategy.
            (2) Form.--The reports required under paragraph (1) shall 
        be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified 
        annex as appropriate.

SEC. 5. CLIMATE-CONSCIOUS BUDGETING AND OPERATIONS OF DEPARTMENT OF 
              STATE AND UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL 
              DEVELOPMENT.

    The Secretary of State shall include in the annual budget 
submission of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United 
States Code--
            (1) a dedicated budget line item for adaptation to, and 
        mitigation of, climate-related risks to Department of State 
        assets and capabilities;
            (2) a dedicated budget line item to improve the 
        sustainability and climate resilience of the Department's 
        global operations, including reducing the Department's carbon 
        footprint through enhanced energy efficiency and water 
        efficiency, as well as utilization of clean energy sources; and
            (3) an estimate of the anticipated adverse impacts to the 
        readiness of the Department and USAID and the financial costs 
        to the Department and USAID during the year covered by the 
        budget of the loss of, or damage to, Department assets and 
        capabilities as a result of climate change.
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