III 

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 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•SRES 337 IS 

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; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•SRES 337 IS 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) expresses bipartisan concern about the fires 

3 and increased illegal deforestation in the Amazon 

4 rainforest; 

5 (2) recognizes that the fires and illegal deforest6 ation in the Amazon rainforest affect the whole 

7 world; 

8 (3) supports the proactive delivery of financial 

9 and technical assistance from the United States to 

10 the Government of Brazil and to Brazilian non11 governmental organizations to mitigate the fires and 

12 curb illegal deforestation; 

13 (4) supports the reinstatement of protections 

14 for indigenous communities stewarding the Amazon 

15 rainforest; and 

16 (5) supports the efforts of the Government of 

17 Brazil to increase sustainable development of the 

18 Amazon rainforest by strengthening environmental 

19 enforcement and ending illegal deforestation. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS