Sec. 2. Findings; sense of Congress
508 words·~2 min read·
/bill/116/s/5040/is/section-2·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress makes the following findings: 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. 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 2 and non-CO 2 climate pollutants, as well as the protection and expansion of forests and other sinks that remove and store CO 2 , along with other strategies for removing CO 2 and other climate pollutants.
Forced displacement and forced migration are increasingly caused or exacerbated by environmental changes and climate-induced disruptions. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. It is the sense of Congress that the United States should— 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 advance clean energy and climate resilience through budgeting and operations of United States Government facilities abroad.