III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 30 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for the United States 

to address global climate change through the negotiation of fair and 

effective international commitments. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 16, 2007 

Mr. BIDEN (for himself and Mr. LUGAR) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for 

the United States to address global climate change 

through the negotiation of fair and effective international 

commitments. 

Whereas there is a scientific consensus, as established by the 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and confirmed by the National Academy of Sciences, that the 

continued buildup of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in 

the atmosphere threatens the stability of the global climate; 

Whereas there are significant long-term risks to the economy 

and the environment of the United States from the temperature increases and climatic disruptions that are proVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:54 Jan 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR30.IS SR30

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jected to result from increased greenhouse gas concentrations; 

Whereas the potential impacts of global climate change, including long-term drought, famine, mass migration, and 

abrupt climatic shifts, may lead to international tensions 

and instability in regions affected and, therefore, have 

implications for the national security interests of the 

United States; 

Whereas the United States has the largest economy in the 

world and is also the largest emitter of greenhouse gases; 

Whereas the greenhouse gas emissions of the United States 

are projected to continue to rise; 

Whereas the greenhouse gas emissions of developing countries 

are rising more rapidly than the emissions of the United 

States and will soon surpass the greenhouse gas emissions of the United States and other developed countries; 

Whereas reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the levels necessary to avoid serious climatic disruption requires the 

introduction of new energy technologies and other climate-friendly technologies, the use of which results in low 

or no emissions of greenhouse gases or in the capture 

and storage of greenhouse gases; 

Whereas the development and sale of climate-friendly technologies in the United States and internationally present 

economic opportunities for workers and businesses in the 

United States; 

Whereas climate-friendly technologies can improve air quality 

by reducing harmful pollutants from stationary and mobile sources and can enhance energy security by reducing 

reliance on imported oil, diversifying energy sources, and 


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reducing the vulnerability of energy delivery infrastructure; 

Whereas other industrialized countries are undertaking measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which provides 

the industries in those countries with a competitive advantage in the growing global market for climate-friendly 

technologies; 

Whereas efforts to limit emissions growth in developing countries in a manner that is consistent with the development 

needs of those countries could establish significant markets for climate-friendly technologies and contribute to 

international efforts to address climate change; 

Whereas the United States Climate Change Science Program 

launched by President George W. Bush concluded in 

April 2006 that there is no longer a discrepancy between 

the rates of global average temperature increase observed 

at the Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, strengthening the scientific evidence that human activity contributes significantly to global temperature increases; 

Whereas President Bush, in the State of the Union Address 

given in January 2006, called on the United States to reduce its ‘‘addiction’’ to oil and focus its attention on developing cleaner, renewable, and sustainable energy 

sources; 

Whereas President Bush has launched the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate to cooperatively develop new and cleaner energy technologies and 

promote their use in fast-developing nations like India 

and China; 

Whereas the national security of the United States will increasingly depend on the deployment of diplomatic, miliVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:54 Jan 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR30.IS SR30

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tary, scientific, and economic resources toward solving 

the problem of the overreliance of the United States and 

the world on high-carbon energy; 

Whereas the United States is a party to the United Nations 

Framework Convention on Climate Change, done at New 

York May 9, 1992, and entered into force in 1994 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Convention’’); 

Whereas, at the December 2005 United Nations Climate 

Change Conference in Montreal, Canada, parties to the 

Convention, with the concurrence of the United States, 

initiated a new dialogue on long-term cooperative action 

to address climate change; 

Whereas the Convention sets a long-term objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at 

a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system; 

Whereas the Convention establishes that parties bear common but differentiated responsibilities for efforts to 

achieve the objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations; 

Whereas an effective global effort to address climate change 

must provide for commitments and action by all countries 

that are major emitters of greenhouse gases, developed 

and developing alike, and the widely varying circumstances among the developed and developing countries may require that such commitments and action 

vary; and 

Whereas the United States has the capability to lead the effort to counter global climate change: Now, therefore, be 

it 


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1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 

2 United States should act to reduce the health, environ3 mental, economic, and national security risks posed by 

4 global climate change and foster sustained economic 

5 growth through a new generation of technologies, by— 

6 (1) participating in negotiations under the 

7 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 

8 Change, done at New York May 9, 1992, and en9 tered into force in 1994, and leading efforts in other 

10 international fora, with the objective of securing 

11 United States participation in binding agreements 

12 that— 

13 (A) advance and protect the economic and 

14 national security interests of the United States; 

15 (B) establish mitigation commitments by 

16 all countries that are major emitters of green17 house gases, consistent with the principle of 

18 common but differentiated responsibilities; 

19 (C) establish flexible international mecha20 nisms to minimize the cost of efforts by partici21 pating countries; and 

22 (D) achieve a significant long-term reduc23 tion in global greenhouse gas emissions; and 

24 (2) establishing a bipartisan Senate observer 

25 group, the members of which shall be designated by 


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1 the chairman and ranking member of the Committee 

2 on Foreign Relations of the Senate, to— 

3 (A) monitor any international negotiations 

4 on climate change; and 

5 (B) ensure that the advice and consent 

6 function of the Senate is exercised in a manner 

7 to facilitate timely consideration of any applica8 ble treaty submitted to the Senate. 

Æ 


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