[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 337 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 337

      Expressing concern about the fires in the Amazon rainforest.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 25, 2019

   Mr. Schatz (for himself, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Murphy) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Expressing concern about the fires in the Amazon rainforest.

Whereas the Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world;
Whereas almost 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest exists within the borders of 
        Brazil;
Whereas the Amazon rainforest accounts for 25 percent of the carbon that global 
        forests absorb each year and has as much as 140,000,000,000 tons of 
        carbon sequestered in the ground;
Whereas the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest is home to over 2,000 species of 
        animals, meaning that 1 in 10 known species of animals is endemic to the 
        region;
Whereas 70 percent of the gross domestic product of South America is generated 
        in areas that receive rainfall or water from the Amazon rainforest, and 
        the trees of the Amazon rainforest influence rainfall patterns as far 
        away as the United States;
Whereas the National Institute for Space Research of Brazil (referred to in this 
        preamble as the ``INPE'') reported that, between January and September 
        of 2019, there were 87,257 fires in Brazil, including 62,034 fires in 
        the Legal Amazonia, more than double the number of fires that occurred 
        during the entire 2018 calendar year;
Whereas the INPE reported that the Amazon rainforest shrank 1,330 square miles 
        in the first 6 months of 2019, a 40-percent increase in deforestation 
        from 2018;
Whereas public records indicate that, from January 2019 to June 2019, the number 
        of enforcement actions taken by the Government of Brazil aimed at 
        curbing illegal deforestation declined by 20 percent;
Whereas fires and illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest impact the 
        benefits that the Amazon rainforest has on regional and global climate 
        stability;
Whereas fires and illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest pose a danger 
        to indigenous communities;
Whereas a recent poll conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and 
        Statistics found that 96 percent of the people of Brazil partially or 
        completely agreed with the statement that ``President [Jair] Bolsonaro 
        and the Federal government should increase inspection measures to 
        prevent illegal deforestation in the Amazon'';
Whereas the United States was the first country to recognize the independence of 
        Brazil in 1822 and has long respected and championed the sovereignty of 
        Brazil;
Whereas the people of the United States have historic, cultural, and familial 
        ties to the people of Brazil; and
Whereas the United States and Brazil share a common interest in the sustainable 
        management of the natural resources of the Amazon rainforest: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses bipartisan concern about the fires and 
        increased illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest;
            (2) recognizes that the fires and illegal deforestation in 
        the Amazon rainforest affect the whole world;
            (3) supports the proactive delivery of financial and 
        technical assistance from the United States to the Government 
        of Brazil and to Brazilian nongovernmental organizations to 
        mitigate the fires and curb illegal deforestation;
            (4) supports the reinstatement of protections for 
        indigenous communities stewarding the Amazon rainforest; and
            (5) supports the efforts of the Government of Brazil to 
        increase sustainable development of the Amazon rainforest by 
        strengthening environmental enforcement and ending illegal 
        deforestation.
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