IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 104 

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

to address global climate change through the negotiation of fair and 

effective international commitments. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2007 

Mr. CARNAHAN (for himself and Mr. KIRK) submitted the following 

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress 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 promstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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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 thereby have implications for the national security interests of the United 

States; 

Whereas the United States, as the largest economy in the 

world, is also the largest greenhouse gas emitter; 

Whereas the greenhouse gas emissions of the United States 

are currently 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 presents 

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 provide 

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, thereby 

strengthening the scientific evidence that human activity 

contributes significantly to global temperature increases; 

Whereas President Bush, in his State of the Union Address 

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, military, scientific, and economic resources toward solving 

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the problem of the over-reliance of the United States and 

the world on high-carbon energy; 

Whereas, at the December 2005 United Nations Climate 

Change Conference in Montreal, Canada, parties to the 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 

Change, with the concurrence of the United States, initiated a new dialogue on long-term cooperative action to 

address climate change; 

Whereas the United States is a party to the United Nations 

Framework Convention on Climate Change, done at New 

York on May 9, 1992, and entered into force in 1994 

(hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Convention’’); 

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 countries 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 against global climate change: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the 

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1 United States should act to reduce the health, environ2 mental, economic, and national security risks posed by 

3 global climate change and foster sustained economic 

4 growth through a new generation of technologies, by— 

5 (1) participating in negotiations under the 

6 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 

7 Change, done at New York on May 9, 1992, and en8 tered into force in 1994, and leading efforts in other 

9 international fora, with the objective of securing 

10 United States participation in agreements that— 

11 (A) advance and protect the economic and 

12 national security interests of the United States; 

13 (B) establish mitigation commitments by 

14 all countries that are major emitters of green15 house gases, consistent with the principle of 

16 common but differentiated responsibilities; 

17 (C) establish flexible international mecha18 nisms to minimize the cost of efforts by partici19 pating countries; and 

20 (D) achieve a significant long-term reduc21 tion in global greenhouse gas emissions; and 

22 (2) establishing a bipartisan observer group in 

23 the House of Representatives and the Senate, the 

24 members of which shall be designated by the chair25 man and ranking member of the Committee on Formstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 eign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

2 chairman and ranking member of the Committee on 

3 Foreign Relations of the Senate, to— 

4 (A) monitor any international negotiations 

5 on climate change; and 

6 (B) ensure that the advice and consent 

7 function of the Senate is exercised in a manner 

8 to facilitate timely consideration of any applica9 ble treaty submitted to the Senate. 

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