Sec. 4. Strategy for global climate change diplomacy and development
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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— develop, in consultation with the Secretary of the 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 ); designate the Department of State’s Bureau for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs to coordinate Department and USAID efforts to guide United States foreign policy related to global climate change in order to— confront risks to United States national security, including geopolitical, commercial, economic, environmental, financial, and health interests; advance United States prosperity; and restore United States leadership through climate change diplomacy; and submit to the appropriate congressional committees the Strategy.
The Strategy developed pursuant to subsection
(a)shall at a minimum— 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; 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— 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; outlining an approach to utilize multilateral and bilateral foreign assistance to promote low-carbon, climate-resilient development; integrating into diplomatic fora and development programs issues related to gender and the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable countries and communities; articulating guidelines for international finance flows consistent with a pathway toward low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development; mobilizing public and private sector finance to support low-carbon, climate-resilient development, including through the Green Climate Fund; and reflecting the input of other executive branch agencies, as appropriate; 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; describe how the Department of State plans to build on any existing frameworks, policies, or programs to— 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; consider how compliance with international climate agreements affects the global economy, including in terms of employment, trade, and investment; and 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 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. The Strategy shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but may include a classified annex, if appropriate. Not later than three months after the submission of the Strategy, the Secretary of State and Administrator of USAID shall begin implementing the Strategy. 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 USAID shall jointly consult with the appropriate congressional committees regarding the development and implementation of the strategy. 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. The reports required under paragraph
(1)shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex, if appropriate.