II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 745 

To establish the position of Climate Security Envoy within the Department 

of State, who shall develop policies to address security concerns with 

climate change and serve as a liaison with other Federal agencies and 

international partners on climate security issues, to express concern with, 

and improved preparedness for, growing security issues in the Arctic, 

to establish the position of Special Representative for the Arctic, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 12, 2019 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. COONS, Mr. 

UDALL, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. KAINE, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. 

BOOKER, and Mr. SCHATZ) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To establish the position of Climate Security Envoy within 

the Department of State, who shall develop policies to 

address security concerns with climate change and serve 

as a liaison with other Federal agencies and international 

partners on climate security issues, to express concern 

with, and improved preparedness for, growing security 

issues in the Arctic, to establish the position of Special 

Representative for the Arctic, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Climate Security Act 

3 of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds that— 

6 (1) the impacts of climate change are— 

7 (A) worsening natural disasters and global 

8 water, food, health, and energy insecurities; 

9 (B) contributing to the conditions that lead 

10 to intrastate and interstate conflict, state insta11 bility, and state failure; and 

12 (C) straining United States and allied mili13 tary readiness, operations, and strategy; 

14 (2) the impacts of climate change on sea level 

15 and on the Arctic region are among the most signifi16 cant current and projected impacts of climate 

17 change on national and international security; 

18 (3) during the administrations of George H. W. 

19 Bush, William J. Clinton, George W. Bush, and 

20 Barack H. Obama, various departments and agen21 cies of the Federal Government initiated actions to 

22 prepare for and reduce climate-change-related risks 

23 to national security; 

24 (4) the Intelligence Community, the Depart25 ment of Defense, the Department of State, a broad 

26 range of national security experts and organizations, 


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1 and key allies of the United States have concluded 

2 that— 

3 (A) the impacts of climate change already 

4 present a strategically significant risk to the 

5 United States and our allies and partners; and 

6 (B) this risk will increase over time; 

7 (5) the collaboration of the National Oceanic 

8 and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of 

9 the Navy, the Department of the Air Force, the De10 partment of Energy, the National Aeronautics and 

11 Space Administration, and the National Science 

12 Foundation on the National Earth System Pre13 diction Capability provides accurate global analysis 

14 and prediction capabilities for the physical environ15 ment that enhances response and prevention strate16 gies to national security threats; 

17 (6) comprehensive action must be taken to en18 sure that the response of the United States and of 

19 our key international partners is commensurate with 

20 the scale of the existing and projected climate-re21 lated risks to national and international security; 

22 (7) these responses should include actions— 

23 (A) to reduce the contributions to climate 

24 change caused by human activity; and 


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1 (B) to adapt to and to increase resiliency 

2 to the impacts of climate change; and 

3 (8) the United States requires, but does not 

4 now have, comprehensive and effective whole of gov5 ernment, whole of nation, and international strate6 gies to address existing climate-related security risks 

7 and anticipated increases in such risks. 

8 SEC. 3. CLIMATE SECURITY ENVOY. 

9 Section 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities 

10 Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a) is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub12 section (i); and 

13 (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(g) CLIMATE SECURITY ENVOY.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

18 President shall appoint, by and with the advice and 

19 consent of the Senate, a Climate Security Envoy, 

20 who shall serve within the Office of the Secretary of 

21 State. 

22 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Climate Security Envoy— 

23 ‘‘(A) shall develop a climate security policy 

24 in accordance with paragraph (3); 


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1 ‘‘(B) shall coordinate the integration of the 

2 climate security policy into applied strategies 

3 across programmatic and regional bureaus and 

4 into the Department of State’s decision-making 

5 processes; 

6 ‘‘(C) shall serve as a key point of contact 

7 for other Federal agencies, including the De8 partment of Defense, the Department of Home9 land Security, and the Intelligence Community, 

10 on climate security issues; 

11 ‘‘(D) shall use the voice, vote, and influ12 ence of the United States to encourage other 

13 countries and international multilateral organi14 zations to support the principles of the climate 

15 security policy implemented under paragraph 

16 (3); 

17 ‘‘(E) shall perform such other duties and 

18 exercise such powers as the Secretary of State 

19 shall prescribe; and 

20 ‘‘(F) may not perform the functions of the 

21 Special Envoy for Climate Change to the 

22 United Nations or serve as the United States 

23 negotiator in any international fora to address 

24 climate change. 


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1 ‘‘(3) CLIMATE SECURITY POLICY.—The Climate 

2 Security Envoy shall develop and implement a cli3 mate security policy that includes requirements for 

4 the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, 

5 the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, embassies, 

6 regional bureaus, and other offices with a role in 

7 conflict avoidance, prevention and security assist8 ance, or humanitarian disaster response, prevention, 

9 and assistance to assess, develop, budget for, and 

10 (upon approval) implement plans, policies, and ac11 tions— 

12 ‘‘(A) to enhance resilience to the effects of 

13 climate change as a principal means of reducing 

14 the risk of conflict and instability; 

15 ‘‘(B) to evaluate specific added risks to 

16 certain regions and countries that are— 

17 ‘‘(i) vulnerable to the effects of cli18 mate change; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) strategically significant to the 

20 United States; 

21 ‘‘(C) to account for the impacts on human 

22 health, safety, stresses, reliability, food produc23 tion, fresh water and other critical natural re24 sources, and economic activity; 


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1 ‘‘(D) to coordinate the integration of cli2 mate change risk and vulnerability assessments 

3 into the decision-making process on foreign as4 sistance awards; 

5 ‘‘(E) to advance principles of good govern6 ance by encouraging foreign governments, par7 ticularly nations that are least capable of cop8 ing with the effects of climate change— 

9 ‘‘(i) to conduct climate security eval10 uations; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) to facilitate the development of 

12 climate security action plans to ensure sta13 bility and public safety in disaster situa14 tions in a humane and responsible fashion; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(F) to evaluate the vulnerability, security, 

17 susceptibility, and resiliency of United States 

18 assets and interests abroad. 

19 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—The Climate Security Envoy 

20 shall regularly report to the Secretary of State on 

21 activities described in paragraphs (2) and (3) to in22 tegrate climate concerns into agendas and program 

23 budget requests. 


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1 ‘‘(5) RANK AND STATUS OF AMBASSADOR.— 

2 The Climate Security Envoy shall have the rank and 

3 status of Ambassador at Large. 

4 ‘‘(6) DEFINED TERM.—In this subsection, the 

5 term ‘climate security’ means the effects of climate 

6 change on— 

7 ‘‘(A) United States national security con8 cerns and subnational, national, and regional 

9 political stability; and 

10 ‘‘(B) overseas security and conflict situa11 tions that are potentially exacerbated by dy12 namic environmental factors and events, includ13 ing— 

14 ‘‘(i) the intensification and frequency 

15 of droughts, floods, wildfires, tropical 

16 storms, and other extreme weather events; 

17 ‘‘(ii) changes in historical severe 

18 weather, drought, and wildfire patterns; 

19 ‘‘(iii) the expansion of geographical 

20 ranges of droughts, floods, and wildfires 

21 into regions that had not regularly experi22 enced such phenomena; 

23 ‘‘(iv) global sea level rise patterns and 

24 the expansion of geographical ranges af25 fected by drought; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) changes in marine environments 

2 that effect critical geostrategic waterways, 

3 such as the Arctic Ocean, the South China 

4 Sea, the South Pacific Ocean, the Barents 

5 Sea, and the Beaufort Sea.’’. 

6 SEC. 4. ENHANCING UNITED STATES UNDERSTANDING ON 

7 GLOBAL CLIMATE DISRUPTIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall conduct peri9 odic comprehensive evaluations of present and ongoing 

10 disruptions to the global climate system that analyze— 

11 (1) the intensity, frequency, and range of nat12 ural disasters; 

13 (2) the scarcity of global natural resources, in14 cluding fresh water; 

15 (3) global food, health, and energy insecurities; 

16 (4) conditions that contribute to— 

17 (A) intrastate and interstate conflict; 

18 (B) political and economic instability; 

19 (C) migration of vulnerable and under20 served populations; 

21 (D) state failure; and 

22 (E) gender based violence; and 

23 (5) United States and allied military readiness, 

24 operations, and strategy. 


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1 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the evaluations con2 ducted under subsection (a) shall be— 

3 (1) to support the practical application of sci4 entific data and research on climate change’s dy5 namic effects around the world towards improving 

6 resilience, adaptability, security, and stability in the 

7 face of growing global environmental risks and 

8 changes; 

9 (2) to ensure that the strategic planning and 

10 mission execution of United States international de11 velopment and diplomatic missions adequately ac12 count for heightened and dynamic risks and chal13 lenges associated with the effects of climate change; 

14 (3) to improve coordination between United 

15 States science agencies conducting research and 

16 forecasts on the causes and effects of climate change 

17 and United States national security agencies; and 

18 (4) to better understand the effects of global 

19 climate disruptions on all genders, thereby leading to 

20 better, more sustainable, and targeted solutions. 

21 (c) SCOPE.—The evaluations conducted under sub22 section (a) shall— 

23 (1) examine developing countries’ vulnerabilities 

24 and risks associated with global, regional, and localVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S745.IS S745

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1 ized effects of climate change, including utilizing 

2 gender analysis; and 

3 (2) assess and make recommendations regard4 ing necessary measures to mitigate risks and reduce 

5 vulnerabilities associated with effects, including— 

6 (A) sea level rise; 

7 (B) freshwater resource scarcity; 

8 (C) wildfires; and 

9 (D) increased intensity and frequency of 

10 extreme weather conditions and events, includ11 ing flooding, drought, and extreme storm 

12 events, including tropical cyclones. 

13 (d) REPORT.—The President shall— 

14 (1) compile a report containing a summary of 

15 the results of the evaluations conducted under this 

16 section; and 

17 (2) make such report available to the public. 

18 SEC. 5. TRANSPARENCY. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Any commission, advisory panel, 

20 or committee designated by the President to examine or 

21 evaluate climate security (as defined in section 1(g)(6) of 

22 the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, as 

23 added by section 3) shall comply with the Federal Advi24 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 


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1 (b) WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS.—Section 

2 2302(b)(8)(A) of title 5, United States Code, is amend3 ed— 

4 (1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘, or’’ and insert5 ing a semicolon; 

6 (2) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); 

7 and 

8 (3) by inserting after clause (i) the following: 

9 ‘‘(ii) a deliberate manipulation, mis10 judgment, removal, or obfuscation of, or 

11 failure to take into account, data and in12 formation critical to fulsome or accurate 

13 national security assessment and planning; 

14 or’’. 

15 (c) ACCESSIBILITY OF PROCESSES.—The President 

16 shall ensure that the draft and final reports, studies, and 

17 policy recommendations relating to climate security re18 search that are compiled by entities working under the di19 rection of the Federal Government are made available to 

20 the public. 

21 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ARCTIC SECURITY. 

22 It is the sense of Congress that— 

23 (1) the rapidly changing Arctic environment— 


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1 (A) creates new national and regional secu2 rity challenges due to increased military activity 

3 in the Arctic; 

4 (B) heightens the risks of potential con5 flicts spilling over into the Arctic region from 

6 interventions and theaters of tension in other 

7 regions of the world; 

8 (C) threatens maritime safety due to inad9 equate regional resource capacity to patrol the 

10 increases in vessel traffic this remote region is 

11 experiencing from the increased expanses of 

12 open Arctic water from diminished annual levels 

13 of sea ice; 

14 (D) impacts public safety due to increased 

15 human activity in the Arctic region where 

16 search and rescue capacity remains very lim17 ited; and 

18 (E) threatens the health of the Arctic’s 

19 fragile and historically pristine environment and 

20 the unique and highly sensitive species found in 

21 the Arctic’s marine and terrestrial ecosystems; 

22 and 

23 (2) the United States should reduce the con24 sequences outlined in paragraph (1) by— 


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1 (A) carefully evaluating the wide variety 

2 and extremely dynamic set of security and safe3 ty risks unfolding in the Arctic; 

4 (B) developing policies and making prep5 arations for mitigating and responding to 

6 threats and risks in the Arctic; 

7 (C) adequately funding the National Earth 

8 System Prediction Capability to substantively 

9 improve weather, ocean, and ice predictions on 

10 time scales necessary for ensuring regional se11 curity and trans-Arctic shipping; 

12 (D) investing in resources, including a sig13 nificantly expanded icebreaker fleet, to ensure 

14 that the United States has adequate capacity to 

15 prevent and respond to security threats in the 

16 Arctic region; and 

17 (E) pursuing diplomatic engagements with 

18 all nations in the Arctic region to reach an 

19 agreement for— 

20 (i) maintaining peace and stability in 

21 the Arctic region; and 

22 (ii) fostering cooperation on steward23 ship and safety initiatives in the Arctic re24 gion. 


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1 SEC. 7. UNITED STATES SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR 

2 THE ARCTIC. 

3 Section 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities 

4 Act of 1956, as amended by section 3, is further amended 

5 by inserting after subsection (g) the following: 

6 ‘‘(h) SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE ARCTIC.— 

7 ‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary of State 

8 shall designate a Special Representative for the Arc9 tic— 

10 ‘‘(A) to coordinate the United States Gov11 ernment response to international disputes and 

12 needs in the Arctic; 

13 ‘‘(B) to represent the United States Gov14 ernment, as appropriate, in multilateral fora in 

15 discussions concerning access, cooperation, con16 servation, cultural relations, and transit in the 

17 Arctic; and 

18 ‘‘(C) to formulate United States policy to 

19 assist in the resolution of international conflicts 

20 in the Arctic. 

21 ‘‘(2) OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES.—The indi22 vidual designated under paragraph (1) may carry 

23 out the duties set forth in paragraph (1) in addition 

24 to other assigned responsibilities.’’. 

Æ 


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