III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 708 

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

the United Nations report entitled ‘‘Global Warming of 1.5 °C, an 

IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C 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’’ and the Fourth National Climate Assessment report entitled ‘‘Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States’’ by the 

United States Global Change Research Program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 27, 2018 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. UDALL, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. 

HIRONO, Ms. SMITH, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. 

SCHATZ, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, 

Mr. REED, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. CANTWELL, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. 

DUCKWORTH, Ms. HASSAN, and Mr. BENNET) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Environment and 

Public Works 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the need for bold climate action in response to 

the release of the United Nations report entitled ‘‘Global 

Warming of 1.5 °C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C 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, 


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•SRES 708 IS 

and efforts to eradicate poverty’’ and the Fourth National Climate Assessment report entitled ‘‘Volume II: 

Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States’’ 

by the United States Global Change Research Program. 

Whereas, on October 8, 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel 

on Climate Change released a report entitled ‘‘Global 

Warming of 1.5 °C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C 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’’ (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘IPCC 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, on November 23, 2018, the United States Global 

Change Research Program delivered its congressionally 

mandated Fourth Annual Climate Assessment report entitled ‘‘Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the 

United States’’ (referred to in this preamble as the 

‘‘NCA report’’); 

Whereas the NCA report represents the findings of over 300 

Federal and non-Federal experts and was reviewed by the 

13 Federal agencies that comprise the United States 

Global Change Research Program; 

Whereas the IPCC report found that— 


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(1) increases in global temperature above pre-industrial levels are overwhelmingly the result of anthropogenic 

sources of atmospheric carbon and other greenhouse 

gases; 

(2) the last 50-year period in the Northern Hemisphere had the warmest average temperature of any 50- 

year period in the last 500 years; 

(3) Earth is already experiencing the consequences 

of 1 degree Celsius warming above pre-industrial 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; 

(4) as the global temperature continues to rise, the 

impacts of a warming atmosphere increase in severity; 

(5) the difference between warming of 1.5 degrees 

Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius is substantial, and limiting 

warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is affordable, feasible, 

and necessary to protect people from the worst impacts 

of climate change, including extreme heat, drought, 

floods, and increased poverty and instability; 

(6) compared to warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, 

warming at or above 2 degrees Celsius could— 

(A) result in a global sea level rise of an additional 10 centimeters and substantially more summers without Arctic sea ice; 

(B) worsen impacts to terrestrial, freshwater, 

coastal, and marine ecosystems; and 

(C) increase the risk of species loss and 

extinctions; 

(7) warming at or above 2 degrees Celsius could also 

lead to— 

(A) a loss of greater than 99 percent of all 

coral reefs on Earth; and 


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(B) mass migration from regions most affected 

by atmospheric changes; 

(8) at a rise in temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius, 

the global population exposed to water stress could be 50 

percent lower than if the global temperature rises by 2 

degrees Celsius; 

(9) the number of people exposed to extreme heat 

waves would rise substantially with an increase in global 

temperature of 2 degrees Celsius rather than 1.5 degrees 

Celsius; 

(10) at current rates of greenhouse gas emissions, 

Earth will warm by 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2040; and 

(11) to avoid the effects of a rise in global temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius 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 NCA report found that, in the United States— 

(1) rising sea levels caused by a changing climate already threaten infrastructure and ecosystems; and 

(2) warming at or above 2 degrees Celsius will 

cause— 

(A) over $500,000,000,000 annually in lost economic output from crop failure, lost labor, and damages related to extreme weather; 

(B) crop yields of corn and soybeans to fall an 

average of 15 percent; 

(C) wildfires to burn at least twice as much forest area annually; 

(D) an additional 2,000 premature deaths annually from higher temperatures in the Midwest; and 


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(E) sea levels to continue to rise, threatening 

public infrastructure and coastal real estate valued 

at $1,000,000,000,000; 

Whereas the United States is— 

(1) a global leader; 

(2) a member of the global community and is affected by climate impacts such as those outlined in the 

IPCC report; and 

(3) already suffering from the impacts of climate 

change; 

Whereas it is possible and economically beneficial to transition to a low-carbon emission 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 

emission economy or to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 

in line with scientific recommendations to reduce global 

temperature changes: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes and accepts the findings of the 

3 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the 

4 report of October 8, 2018, entitled ‘‘Global Warming 

5 of 1.5 °C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of 

6 global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels 

7 and related global greenhouse gas emission path8 ways, in the context of strengthening the global re9 sponse to the threat of climate change, sustainable 

10 development, and efforts to eradicate poverty’’; 


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1 (2) recognizes and accepts the findings of the 

2 Fourth National Climate Assessment report entitled 

3 ‘‘Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the 

4 United States’’ by the United States Global Change 

5 Research Program; and 

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

7 that— 

8 (A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 

9 line with the recommendations of the Intergov10 ernmental Panel on Climate Change and the 

11 United States Global Change Research Pro12 gram would help avoid the most devastating cli13 mate change impacts and would be good for all 

14 people of the United States; and 

15 (B) immediate action by Congress and the 

16 executive branch is needed to help reduce global 

17 greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent below 

18 2010 levels by 2030 and 100 percent below 

19 2010 levels by 2050. 

Æ 


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