IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1145 

Expressing the need for bold climate action in response to the release of 

the United Nations report titled ‘‘Global Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, 

an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees 

Celsius above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas 

emission pathways in the context of strengthening the global response 

to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts 

to eradicate poverty’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 13, 2018 

Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. TONKO, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. 

POLIS, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. 

HUFFMAN, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. KILMER, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. 

WELCH, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. DESAULNIER, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. KAPTUR, 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. BEYER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 

LANGEVIN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. BEN RAY

LUJA ́N of New Mexico, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. 

MCCOLLUM, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Ms. LEE, Mr. 

KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. POCAN, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. 

PALLONE, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, 

Ms. MENG, Mr. RUSH, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. SOTO, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. SIRES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of 

Texas, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. PETERS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. 

HANABUSA, Ms. GABBARD, Ms. ESHOO, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, 

Mr. RASKIN, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. GALLEGO, Mrs. 

LAWRENCE, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. SEWELL of 

Alabama, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. NOLAN, Ms. DELBENE, 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. NADLER, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. NORTON, and Mr. EVANS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 


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•HRES 1145 IH 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the need for bold climate action in response to 

the release of the United Nations report titled ‘‘Global 

Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, an IPCC special report 

on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius 

above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse 

gas emission pathways in the context of strengthening 

the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty’’. 

Whereas the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

(IPCC) released on Monday, October 8, 2018, a report 

in response to an invitation from the United Nations 

Framework Convention on Climate Change; 

Whereas the IPCC report was written by 91 authors and review editors from 40 countries, including the United 

States, and was reviewed by thousands of expert and government reviewers from around the world; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that increases in global temperature above preindustrial levels are overwhelmingly 

the result of anthropogenic sources of atmospheric carbon 

and other greenhouse gases; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that the last 50-year period 

in the Northern Hemisphere has the warmest average 

temperature of any 50-year period in 500 years; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that Earth is already seeing 

the consequences of 1 degree Celsius warming above 

preindustrial levels in the form of extreme weather, rising 

sea levels, longer and more severe droughts, diminishing 

Arctic sea ice, and diminished glacial and snow cover, 

among other impacts; 


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•HRES 1145 IH 

Whereas the IPCC report found that as the global temperature continues to warm, the impacts of a warming atmosphere increase in severity; 

Whereas the report found that the difference between warming of 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius is substantial, and that 

limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is affordable, feasible, 

and necessary to protecting people from the worst impacts of climate change, including extreme heat, drought, 

floods, and increased poverty and instability; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that, compared to warming 

of 1.5 degrees Celsius, warming at or above 2 degrees 

Celsius could result in 10 centimeters more global sea 

level rise and substantially more summers without Arctic 

sea ice; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that, compared to warming 

of 1.5 degrees Celsius, warming at or above 2 degrees 

could worsen impacts to terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, 

and marine ecosystems, and increase the risk of species 

loss and extinctions; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that warming at or above 2 

degrees Celsius could lead to a loss of greater than 99 

percent of all of Earth’s coral reefs; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that warming at or above 2 

degrees Celsius could lead to mass migration from regions most impacted by atmospheric changes; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that at a 1.5 degree temperature rise, the global population exposed to water 

stress could be 50 percent lower than if the global temperature rises 2 degrees Celsius; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that the amount of people 

exposed to extreme heat waves rises substantially under 


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•HRES 1145 IH 

a world warmed by 2 degrees Celsius rather than 1.5 degrees Celsius; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that at current rates of 

greenhouse gas emissions Earth will warm by 1.5 degrees 

Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2040; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that to avoid the impacts of 

a 1.5 degree Celsius warmer world by 2040, net global 

greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 45 percent 

below 2010 levels by 2030 and 100 percent below 2010 

levels by 2050; 

Whereas the United States is a global leader; 

Whereas the United States is a member of the global community and is affected by climate impacts such as those outlined in the IPCC report; 

Whereas the United States is already suffering from the impacts of climate change; 

Whereas it is possible and economically beneficial to transition to a low-carbon economy that would not contribute 

to global climate change and would result in sustainable 

economic growth; and 

Whereas the Government of the United States has failed to 

enact policies to effectively transition to a low-carbon 

economy or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with 

scientific recommendations to reduce global temperature 

changes: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes and accepts the findings of the 

3 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; 


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•HRES 1145 IH 

1 (2) expresses that it is the sense of the House 

2 of Representatives that reducing greenhouse gas 

3 emissions in line with IPCC recommendations would 

4 help avoid the most devastating climate change im5 pacts and would be good for every American; and 

6 (3) expresses that it is the sense of the House 

7 of Representatives that immediate action by Con8 gress and the Administration is needed to reduce 

9 greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent below 2010 

10 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. 

Æ 


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