[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 16, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1557-S1559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. McCain, Mr. 
        Chafee, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Lieberman, 
        Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lautenberg, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Akaka, 
        and Mr. Reed):
  S.J. Res. 5. A joint resolution expressing the sense of Congress that 
the United States should act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to offer a resolution 
with Senators Snowe, McCain, Chafee, Murray, Jeffords, Durbin, 
Lieberman, Leahy, Lautenberg, Boxer, Cantwell, Akaka and Reed that 
urges the Administration to participate in international negotiations 
and actively reduce our greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to 
global warming.
  The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect today. More than 140 nations, 
including all 25 members of the European Union, Russia and China, have 
ratified the agreement to reduce man-made emissions of greenhouse 
gases.
  The United States, which accounts for about one-fourth of the 
greenhouse gases believed responsible for global warming, has refused 
to ratify the treaty.
  Thirty-five of the world's thirty-eight industrialized countries--
except for the United States, Australia, and Monaco--have ratified this 
important treaty.
  This means that industrialized nations are bound to cut their 
combined greenhouse gases by 5 percent below 1990 levels between 2008 
and 2012.
  The United States is missing an important opportunity to protect our 
planet's environment by not ratifying the Protocol.
  I believe this is a huge mistake.
  There is emerging consensus that global warming is real.
  According to the National Academy of Sciences, ``Since the 1900s 
global average temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration 
have increased dramatically, particularly compared to their levels in 
the 900 preceding years.''
  Scientists now agree on three main Facts about global warming.
  Fact 1: The Earth is warming.
  Fact 2: The primary cause of this warming is man-made activities, 
especially fossil fuel consumption.
  Fact 3: If we don't act now to reduce emissions, the problem will 
only get worse.
  We have already begun to see the impacts of climate change: four 
hurricanes of significant force pounded the state of Florida in a six 
week period last fall. The storms formed over an area of the ocean 
where surface temperatures have increased an average of 17 degrees over 
the past decade.
  Eskimos are being forced inland in Alaska as their native homes on 
the coastline are melting into the sea.
  Glaciers are beginning to disappear in Glacier National Park in 
Montana. In 100 years, the Park has gone from having 150 glaciers to 
fewer than 30. And the 30 that remain are two-thirds smaller than they 
once were.
  In California, water supplies are threatened by smaller snowpacks in 
the Sierra Nevada. Record snowfalls this winter have provided hope for 
this summer but the region still could face drought or floods unless 
temperatures stay cold enough to maintain the snowpack and average 
snowfall continues for the rest of the precipitation season.
  If we take strong action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there 
will be 27 percent snowpack remaining in the Sierras at the end of the 
century.
  However, if we do nothing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, 
there will only be 11 percent snowpack left in the Sierras at the end 
of the century.
  The San Diego based Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a preeminent 
center for marine science research, will release a study later this 
week showing that global warming will likely have serious ramifications 
in the very near future, including: a water crisis in the western 
United States in the next 20 years due to smaller snowpacks.
  The disappearance of the glaciers in the Andes in Peru in as little 
as 10 years, leaving the population without an adequate water supply 
during the summer.
  The melting of two-thirds of the glaciers in western China by 2050, 
seriously diminishing the water supply for the region's 300 million 
inhabitants.
  Further, the UN Comprehensive Assessment of Freshwater Resources of 
the World estimates that by 2025, around 5 billion people, out of a 
total

[[Page S1558]]

world population of 8 billion, will not have access to adequate water 
supplies.
  And concern about the effects of climate change is mounting around 
the world.
  Scientists fear that an ``ecological catastrophe'' is developing in 
Tibet with the melting of the region's glaciers as a result of global 
warming.
  Glaciers in West Antarctica are thinning twice as fast as they did in 
the 1990s
  The mean air temperature has risen 4-5 degrees in Alaska in the past 
three decades causing glaciers to melt and the coastline to recede.
  Peru's Quelccaya ice cap, the largest in the tropics, could be gone 
by 2100 if it continues to melt at its current rate--contracting more 
than 600 feet a year in some places.
  In addition, according to National Geographic, ``the famed snows of 
Kilimanjaro have melted more than 80 percent since 1912. Glaciers in 
the Garhwal Himalaya in India are retreating so fast that researchers 
believe that most central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could 
virtually disappear by 2035. Arctic sea ice has thinned significantly 
over the past half century, and its extent has declined by about 10 
percent in the past 30 years. Greenland's ice sheet is shrinking.''
  The Pew Center for Climate Change reports strong evidence of global 
warming in the United States. The findings included: the red fox has 
shifted its habitat northward, where it is encroaching on the Arctic 
fox's range.
  Southern, warm-water fish have begun to infiltrate waters off 
Monterey, California, which were previously dominated by colder-water 
species.
  The Alaskan tundra, which has for thousands of years been a 
depository for carbon dioxide, has begun to release more of the gas 
into the air than it removes because warmer winters are causing stored 
plant matter to decompose.
  There have been documented trends in which the natural timing of 
animal or insect life cycles changed and the plants on which they 
depended did not. Many Southern species of butterflies have disappeared 
entirely over the past century as their range contracted.
  According to the International Climate Change Taskforce, of which 
Senator Snowe is a Co-Chair, if the earth's average temperature 
increases by more than 2 degres Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the 
world could face substantial agricultural losses, countless people at 
risk of water shortages, and widespread adverse health impacts such as 
malaria.
  Even more critically, if the temperature rises more than 3.6 degrees 
Fahrenheit, we could be at risk for catastrophic/weather events. For 
instance, we would risk losing the West Antarctic and Greenland ice 
sheets, which could raise sea levels, shut down the Gulf Stream, and 
destroy the world's forests.
  Climate change is real. Its impacts are already being felt. If 
emissions keep growing at projected levels, greenhouse gases in our 
atmosphere will reach levels unknown since the time of the dinosaurs 
during the lifetimes of children born today.
  That is why my colleagues and I have introduced this resolution that: 
Urges the Administration to engage in international discussions on 
post-Kyoto greenhouse gas reductions.
  Calls upon the Administration to take action NOW to reduce emissions 
domestically.
  Encourages the United States to keep global average temperatures from 
increasing more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit over pre-industrial levels.
  As the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, it is the 
responsibility of the United States to lead by example. By not 
ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, we have sent a harsh message to the world 
that the largest emitter and contributor to global warming refuses to 
participate in a worldwide program aimed at reducing greenhouse gases.
  But fortunately, even though the federal government has refused to 
acknowledge global warming, many States have recognized that in spite 
of the federal government's inaction, action must be taken.
  Nearly 40 States have developed their own climate plans.
  A emission trading system is emerging in the Northeast that will 
require large power plants from Maine to Delaware to reduce their 
carbon emissions.
  Eighteen States and Washington, DC have enacted renewable portfolio 
standards. They include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, 
Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New 
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and 
Wisconsin.
  California has enacted legislation that will reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions from vehicle tailpipes--it is expected that the Northeastern 
States and Canada will also follow California's lead.
  Yet without concerted Federal action, the United States will not be 
able to achieve real, significant greenhouse gas reductions.
  As the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, we must act now to 
reduce the impacts of climate change and save the environment for 
future generations.
  The Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. Though the Protocol ends, the United 
States needs to lead and move to negotiate a post-Kyoto framework. 
There are many things we can do. For example, we can: use our forests 
and our farmland as a depository for carbon to prevent it from being 
released into the atmosphere; develop new technologies such as clean 
coal, renewable energy, and hydrogen vehicles; make better use of 
existing technologies such as hybrid vehicles and energy efficient 
buildings, appliances, and power generation; and use market-based 
programs, such as cap and trade, to reduce emissions with the least 
harm to economy.
  Being a responsible steward of the climate is more than just taking 
steps to pollute less. It also requires participating in international 
negotiations on the policies the world will need to achieve 
significant, long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the joint resolution be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the joint resolution was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 5

       Whereas in May 1992, the Senate gave advice and consent to 
     the ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention 
     on Climate Change with the intent of reducing global manmade 
     emissions of greenhouse gases, which committed the United 
     States (along with other developed countries) to a nonbinding 
     target of containing emissions levels at 1990 rates by 2000;
       Whereas the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
     Change was signed by President George Herbert Walker Bush and 
     took effect in March 1994;
       Whereas in December 1997, at the United Nations Framework 
     Convention on Climate Change conference of the parties, the 
     Kyoto Protocol, which set targets for reductions in the 
     greenhouse gas emissions of industrialized countries, was 
     established based on principles described in the 1992 
     framework agreement;
       Whereas on February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol will take 
     effect, at which time more than 30 industrialized countries 
     will be legally bound to meet quantitative targets for 
     reducing or limiting the greenhouse gas emissions of those 
     countries, an international carbon trading market will be 
     established through an emissions trading program (which was 
     originally proposed by the United States and enables any 
     industrialized country to buy or sell emissions credits), and 
     the clean development mechanism, which provides opportunities 
     to invest in projects in developing countries that limit 
     emissions while promoting sustainable development, will begin 
     full operation;
       Whereas 141 nations (including Canada, China, the European 
     Union, India, Japan, and Russia) have ratified the Kyoto 
     Protocol;
       Whereas the United States is the only member of the Group 
     of 8 that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol;
       Whereas, according to the National Academy of Sciences, 
     ``Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth's atmosphere as 
     a result of human activities, causing surface air 
     temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise . . . 
     Human-induced warming and associated sea level rises are 
     expected to continue through the 21st century.'';
       Whereas the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
     Agency stated that ``Scientists know for certain that human 
     activities are changing the composition of Earth's 
     atmosphere. Increasing levels of greenhouse gases, like 
     carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere since pre-industrial times 
     have been well documented. There is no doubt this atmospheric 
     buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is 
     largely the result of human activities.'';
       Whereas major scientific organizations (including the 
     American Association for the Advancement of Science, the 
     American Meteorological Society, and the American Geophysical 
     Union) have issued statements acknowledging the compelling 
     scientific evidence of human modification of climate;

[[Page S1559]]

       Whereas in 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
     Change estimated that global average temperatures have risen 
     by approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century;
       Whereas the report entitled ``Our Changing Planet: The U.S. 
     Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Years 2004 and 
     2005'' states that ``Atmospheric concentrations of carbon 
     dioxide and methane have been increasing for about two 
     centuries as a result of human activities and are now higher 
     than they have been for over 400,000 years.'';
       Whereas according to the Arctic climate impact assessment 
     published in November 2004, the Arctic is warming almost 
     twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and winter 
     temperatures in Alaska have increased approximately 5 to 7 
     degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years;
       Whereas scientists at the Hadley Centre for Climate 
     Prediction and Research in the United Kingdom have estimated 
     that manmade climate change has already doubled the risk of 
     heat waves, such as the heat wave that caused more than 
     15,000 deaths in Europe in 2003;
       Whereas scientists at the international conference entitled 
     ``Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change'', held in Exeter, 
     England, from February 1, 2005, through February 3, 2005, 
     predicted that an increase in temperature of 1.8 degrees 
     Fahrenheit (which could occur within 25 years) would cause a 
     decline in food production, water shortages, and a net loss 
     of gross domestic product in some developing countries;
       Whereas scientists at the international conference entitled 
     ``Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change'' predicted that an 
     increase in temperature of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (which 
     could occur before 2050) could cause a substantial loss of 
     Arctic Sea ice, widespread bleaching of coral reefs, an 
     increased frequency of forest fires, and rivers to become too 
     warm to support trout and salmon, and, in developing 
     countries, would cause an increased risk of hunger, water 
     shortages that would affect an additional 1,500,000,000 
     people, and significant losses of gross domestic product in 
     some countries;
       Whereas scientists at the international conference entitled 
     ``Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change'' predicted that an 
     increase in temperature of 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (which 
     could occur before 2070) would cause irreversible damage to 
     the Amazon rainforest, destruction of many coral reefs, a 
     rapid increase in hunger, large losses in crop production in 
     certain regions, which could affect as many as 5,500,000,000 
     people, and water shortages that would affect an additional 
     3,000,000,000 people;
       Whereas scientists at the international conference entitled 
     ``Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change'' predicted that an 
     increase in temperature of greater than 5.4 degrees 
     Fahrenheit (which could occur after 2070) would cause certain 
     regions to become unsuitable for food production, and have a 
     substantial effect on the global gross domestic product;
       Whereas in the United States, multiple mechanisms 
     (including market cap and trade programs) exist to carry out 
     mitigation of climate change, sequestration activities in 
     agricultural sectors, and development of new technologies 
     such as clean coal and hydrogen vehicles; and
       Whereas, because the United States has critical economic 
     and other interests in international climate policy, it is in 
     the best interest of the United States to play an active role 
     in any international discussion on climate policy: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled,
       Section 1. That it is the sense of Congress that the United 
     States should demonstrate international leadership and 
     responsibility regarding reducing the health, environmental, 
     and economic risks posed by climate change by--
       (1) carrying out reasonable and responsible actions to 
     ensure significant and meaningful reductions in emissions of 
     all greenhouse gases;
       (2) generating climate-friendly technologies by enacting 
     and implementing policies and programs to address all 
     greenhouse gas emissions to promote sustained economic 
     growth;
       (3) participating in international negotiations under the 
     United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to 
     achieve significant, long-term, cost-effective reductions in 
     global greenhouse gas emissions; and
       (4) supporting the establishment of a long-term objective 
     to prevent the global average temperature from increasing by 
     greater than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial 
     levels.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of State is authorized to and shall 
     engage in efforts with other federal agencies to lead 
     international negotiations to mitigate impacts of global 
     warming.

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