IV 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 31 

Recognizing that the climate crisis is disproportionately affecting the health, 

economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children, recognizing 

the importance of renewed leadership by the United States in addressing 

the climate crisis, and recognizing the need of the United States to 

develop a national, comprehensive, and science-based climate recovery 

plan to phase out fossil fuel emissions, protect and enhance natural 

sequestration, and put the United States on a path towards stabilizing 

the climate system. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 21, 2021 

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. RUSH, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. 

NORTON, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. OMAR, 

Ms. SCANLON, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 

JACOBS of California, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. NEWMAN, Mr. JONES, Mr. 

HUFFMAN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. COHEN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mrs. CAROLYN

B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. 

BONAMICI, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. MORELLE, Ms. CASTOR of 

Florida, Mr. SARBANES, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. 

BROWNLEY, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. MENG, 

Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. BASS, and 

Mr. NADLER) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing that the climate crisis is disproportionately affecting the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children, recognizing the importance 

of renewed leadership by the United States in addressing 

the climate crisis, and recognizing the need of the United 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HCON 31 IH 

States to develop a national, comprehensive, and sciencebased climate recovery plan to phase out fossil fuel emissions, protect and enhance natural sequestration, and 

put the United States on a path towards stabilizing 

the climate system. 

Whereas a stable climate system at the founding of this Nation allowed human life and human civilization to flourish; 

Whereas this Nation was founded on the deeply rooted principle of securing ‘‘the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves 

and our Posterity’’; 

Whereas the Constitution of the United States protects the 

fundamental rights to life, liberty, property, and equal 

protection of the laws; 

Whereas a climate system capable of sustaining human life 

is fundamental to a free and ordered society and is preservative of other fundamental rights, including, but not 

limited to, the rights to life, liberty, property, personal 

security, family autonomy, bodily integrity, and the ability to learn, practice, and transmit cultural and religious 

traditions; 

Whereas the Federal Government sets our Nation’s energy 

policy, which has resulted in a national energy system in 

which approximately 80 percent of our Nation’s energy 

comes from fossil fuels; 

Whereas the national fossil fuel-based energy system has led 

to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the United 

States constituting more than one-quarter of cumulative 

global CO2 emissions; 

Whereas the United States is the world’s largest producer of 

oil and gas, in substantial part through the Federal GovVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Apr 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC31.IH HC31

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HCON 31 IH 

ernment’s opening up of Federal public lands and waters 

for fossil fuel extraction and through actively supporting 

fossil fuel energy; 

Whereas there is an overwhelming scientific consensus that 

human-caused climate change is occurring and that the 

present rate of global heating and ocean acidification is 

a result of the buildup of atmospheric greenhouse gas 

emissions, primarily CO2 emissions, largely from the 

combustion of fossil fuels; 

Whereas current atmospheric CO2 levels of over 400 parts 

per million (ppm) have caused a dangerous planetary energy imbalance, equivalent to the amount of energy of exploding more than 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs per 

day, 365 days per year, across our planet; 

Whereas current climate science and real-world observations 

of the energy imbalance demonstrate that the approximately one degree (1°) Celsius of warming that has already occurred as a result of human-caused climate 

change is already dangerous and negatively affecting all 

aspects of our society and our economy; 

Whereas the last time atmospheric concentrations of CO2 

were over 400 ppm, the seas were 70 to 90 feet higher, 

Greenland had no ice, and coral reefs suffered a major 

extinction, and similar conditions will result if our Nation 

does not drastically reduce CO2 emissions and naturally 

sequester excess concentrations of atmospheric CO2 this 

century; 

Whereas climate change is a threat to national security, as 

it contributes to and exacerbates global instability and 

conflict; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HCON 31 IH 

Whereas the generation of today’s children was born into a 

climate system made hazardous to their health and wellbeing because of human-caused climate change; 

Whereas children are uniquely vulnerable to human-caused 

climate change because of their developing bodies, higher 

exposure to air, food, and water per unit body weight, 

unique behavior patterns, dependence on caregivers, and 

longevity on the planet; 

Whereas human-caused climate change is a public health 

emergency that is adversely impacting the physical and 

mental health of children through, among other impacts, 

extreme weather events, rising temperatures and increased heat exposure, decreased air quality, altered infectious disease patterns, and food and water insecurity; 

Whereas the best scientific information available projects a 

15- to 30-foot rise in sea level by 2100 if current trends 

continue, with ever greater rises and acceleration in subsequent centuries, resulting in increased erosion and the 

loss of land, causing the loss of communities, homes, infrastructure, agriculture, and coastal ecosystems for children affected, until such time as levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are dramatically reduced and steps are taken 

to cool the upper portion of the ocean; 

Whereas infant mortality increases 25 percent on extremely 

hot days, with the first 7 days of life representing a period of critical vulnerability; 

Whereas heat illness is a leading cause of death and illness 

in high school athletes, with nearly 10,000 episodes occurring annually; 

Whereas 8.4 percent of children suffer from allergic rhinitis 

and the ragweed pollen season in North America has 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HCON 31 IH 

grown 13 to 27 days longer since 1995 due to higher 

temperatures and greater CO2 levels; 

Whereas children are especially susceptible to air pollution 

given their developing lungs, higher ventilation rate, and 

higher levels of physical activity; 

Whereas children exposed to smoke from wildfires, which 

have increased in frequency and severity due to rising 

temperatures and droughts, suffer substantial eye symptoms, as well as upper and lower respiratory symptoms, 

which lead to increased rates of asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits; 

Whereas long-term exposure to fine particulate matter, including from sources of air pollution and smoke from 

wildfires, is associated with higher COVID–19 mortality 

rates; 

Whereas extreme weather events can negatively impact children’s mental health due to family loss or separation, 

school interruption, scarcities of food, water, and shelter, 

and public service outages; 

Whereas without immediate steps to address human-caused 

climate change, the health impacts on children will increase in severity and in terms of the number of children 

impacted and will cost the United States billions of dollars per year by the end of the century; 

Whereas children will largely shoulder the costs of humancaused climate change and further increases in global 

temperature will saddle children with an enormous, perhaps incalculable, cost burden, undermining their economic security and the economic security of the United 

States; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HCON 31 IH 

Whereas children are deserving of special consideration and 

protection with respect to human-caused climate change; 

Whereas children on the frontlines of human-caused climate 

change across our Nation and globally have risen up and 

called upon government leaders around the world to take 

concrete, science-based, and equitable action to address 

human-caused climate change and ensure environmental 

and climate justice for their generation and future generations, including children from vulnerable communities 

that have borne the brunt of climate change; 

Whereas children within environmental justice communities, 

including communities of color, low-income communities, 

and indigenous communities, that have contributed the 

least to emissions, have long suffered from systemic environmental racism and social and economic injustices, are 

disproportionately burdened by adverse health or environmental effects, and are subjected to disproportionate energy burdens; 

Whereas members and children from frontline and environmental justice communities, who are more likely to reside 

in areas with greater exposure to air pollution, are disproportionately impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas global atmospheric CO2 concentrations must be reduced to below 350 ppm by the end of the century, with 

further reductions thereafter, in order to restore the 

planet’s energy balance, stabilize our climate system, and 

protect the planet’s ice sheets and oceans for posterity; 

Whereas current and future adverse public health and other 

impacts and costs to children and our Nation can be significantly mitigated if the United States acts promptly to 

reduce its emissions from fossil fuels; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HCON 31 IH 

Whereas numerous experts have concluded that there are 

multiple technically and economically feasible pathways to 

place all sectors of the United States economy on an 

emissions reduction path consistent with returning global 

atmospheric CO2 to 350 ppm by 2100; 

Whereas producing the Nation’s energy with noncarbon-emitting sources will result in energy costs within the range 

of recent experience, ultimately saving consumers money 

and stabilizing the cost of energy, while increasing the 

number of jobs in the energy sector; and 

Whereas multiple executive departments and agencies with 

authority delegated by Congress can exercise such authority to prevent and respond to climate change, including, but not limited to, the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, and Department of State: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

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

3 (1) renewed United States leadership is needed 

4 immediately to act to address the human-caused cli5 mate crisis that is disproportionately affecting the 

6 health, economic opportunity, and fundamental 

7 rights of our Nation’s children; and 

8 (2) there is an urgent human-caused climate 

9 crisis that— 

10 (A) has inspired children across our Na11 tion to organize and demand immediate governVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Apr 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC31.IH HC31

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HCON 31 IH 

1 ment action to protect their fundamental rights 

2 from the perils of climate change; and 

3 (B) demands a national, comprehensive, 

4 science-based, and just climate recovery plan 

5 prepared by the departments and agencies of 

6 the executive branch with delegated authority 

7 over energy and climate policy, that puts the 

8 United States on a trajectory consistent with 

9 reducing global atmospheric CO2 to below 350 

10 parts per million by the year 2100 to uphold 

11 children’s fundamental rights. 

Æ 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS