I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6455 

To establish the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy, to authorize 

the admission of climate-displaced persons into the United States, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 17, 2023 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. ESPAILLAT, 

and Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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 

A BILL 

To establish the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy, 

to authorize the admission of climate-displaced persons 

into the United States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Climate Displaced Persons Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 6455 IH

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings; sense of Congress. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

Sec. 4. Required data collection and reporting. 

Sec. 5. Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy. 

Sec. 6. Training in climate change resilience. 

Sec. 7. Guidance on the humanitarian impacts of climate change. 

Sec. 8. Admission of climate-displaced persons. 

Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) In the second study of the Sixth Assessment 

4 Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 

5 Change (IPCC), issued in February 2022, the IPCC 

6 stated, based on scientific evidence, that the Earth’s 

7 climate is now changing faster than at any point in 

8 human and recent geologic history. 

9 (2) The Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC 

10 and the Fourth National Climate Assessment, issued 

11 in November 2018, found that a changing climate 

12 is— 

13 (A) causing sea levels to rise; 

14 (B) contributing to an increase in wildfires 

15 and temperature extremes in some parts of the 

16 world; 

17 (C) contributing to an increase in heavy 

18 precipitation in certain locations; and 

19 (D) intensifying drought in many regions 

20 of the world. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (3) Forced displacement and forced migration 

2 are increasing in the context of environmental 

3 changes and climate-induced disruptions, including 

4 weather-related disasters, drought, food insecurity, 

5 and rising sea levels. 

6 (4) In 2022, flooding events caused 6 out of 10 

7 disaster displacements within countries, surpassing 

8 other types of disaster, according to the Internal 

9 Displacement Monitoring Centre. Such events in10 clude— 

11 (A) the weather phenomena affected by El 

12 Nin ̃o and La Nin ̃a, which have recently led to 

13 record levels of flood displacement in many 

14 countries, including Brazil, Nigeria, Sudan, 

15 South Sudan, and Somalia; 

16 (B) high-impact events, such as the Au17 gust 2022 floods in Pakistan, which displaced 

18 millions of people; and 

19 (C) floods impacting the most marginalized 

20 communities, such as refugees, internally dis21 placed persons, and returnee populations in 

22 northern South Sudan. 

23 (5) Sea level rise, both locally and globally, im24 perils low-lying communities around the world by 

25 threatening water supplies, accelerating coastal eroVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:55 Dec 01, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6455.IH H6455

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 6455 IH

1 sion and loss of arable land, and inundating coastal 

2 areas. This phenomenon affects— 

3 (A) low-lying areas of countries, such as 

4 Bangladesh, are threatened with land erosion, 

5 land loss, salinization, and other effects of sea 

6 level rise and extreme weather events; and 

7 (B) small-island-developing states, which 

8 are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, 

9 which threatens their entire economies and 

10 territoriality. 

11 (6) Climate change is intensifying drought 

12 events and conditions in both severity and duration, 

13 which imperils agriculture and other livelihoods and 

14 can force families and communities to relocate tem15 porarily or permanently. Failed rainy seasons in the 

16 Horn of Africa have led to the worst drought condi17 tions on record in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. 

18 (7) A 2022 World Food Program report on the 

19 Dry Corridor, a strip of land located in Central 

20 America that includes Guatemala, El Salvador, Hon21 duras, and Nicaragua, has found that in the re22 gion— 

23 (A) temperatures have been rising, with 

24 climate change projections for the Dry Corridor 

25 estimating an increase in temperature of up to 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 6455 IH

1 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050 and 10.8 de2 grees Fahrenheit by 2100; 

3 (B) rainfall has been dwindling and becom4 ing violently sporadic, with long-term droughts 

5 projected to become more severe by 2100 and 

6 intensifying by 27 to 73 percent across all 

7 months; 

8 (C) crop failure is becoming rampant with 

9 the expected intensification of heat waves, 

10 which are expected to affect basic grains and 

11 coffee production due to forest fires, lags in 

12 sowing, and increased pests; and 

(D) approximately 2 13 ⁄3 of the rural popu14 lation of the Dry Corridor live in poverty and 

roughly 3 15 ⁄4 of these people are living in extreme 

16 poverty with significant levels of malnutrition, 

17 with the average monthly income from farming 

18 and other livelihoods estimated at $177.60 per 

19 person, leaving little room to cover eventualities 

20 linked to droughts, pests, extreme weather 

21 events, or socioeconomic shocks. 

22 (8) Tropical storms, including hurricanes, cy23 clones, and typhoons, are extreme weather events 

24 fueled by climate change that can generate wide25 spread destruction and displacement. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (9) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad2 ministration reported that 30 tropical systems were 

3 reported during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, 

4 making 2020— 

5 (A) the highest-ever recorded Atlantic hur6 ricane season; 

7 (B) the fifth consecutive year with an 

8 above-normal Atlantic hurricane season; and 

9 (C) 1 of the 18 above-normal seasons dur10 ing a 26-year span. 

11 (10) The negative effects of hurricanes on com12 munities can linger for years, as demonstrated by 

13 the lasting impacts on parts of Central America 

14 caused by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which both 

15 made landfall in the same area in November 2020. 

16 (11) Combinations of extreme heat and humid17 ity may create wet-bulb temperatures that may 

18 render certain regions of the world uninhabitable in 

19 the coming decades. 

20 (12) In the second study of the Sixth Assess21 ment Report, issued in February 2022, the Intergov22 ernmental Panel on Climate Change affirmed with 

23 high-confidence that societal adaptations in the near 

24 term can help reduce the risks of climate change 

25 throughout the 21st century. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (13) In the ‘‘Synthesis Report: Climate Change 

2 2023’’, the IPCC concluded— 

3 (A) ‘‘There is a rapidly closing window of 

4 opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable 

5 future for all’’; and 

6 (B) ‘‘Deep, rapid and sustained mitigation 

7 and accelerated implementation of adaptation 

8 actions in this decade would reduce projected 

9 losses and damages for humans and eco10 systems’’. 

11 (14) The United States bears a dispropor12 tionate responsibility for climate change since an estimated 1 13 ⁄5 of all historical worldwide carbon dioxide 

14 emissions were released in the United States, which 

15 is greater than the amount of such emissions re16 leased in any other single country. 

17 (15) In the ‘‘Synthesis Report: Climate Change 

18 2023’’, the IPCC concluded, with high confidence, 

19 ‘‘Vulnerable communities who have historically con20 tributed the least to current climate change are dis21 proportionately affected.’’ 

22 (16) According to the United Nations Refugee 

23 Agency (UNHCR)— 

24 (A) 70 percent of refugees originate from 

25 countries on the front lines of the climate crisis; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (B) climate change affects people inside 

2 their own countries; and 

3 (C) climate change typically creates inter4 nal displacement before it begins displacing 

5 people across international borders. 

6 (17) The Global Compact on Refugees recog7 nizes that ‘‘climate, environmental degradation and 

8 natural disasters increasingly interact with the driv9 ers of refugee movements.’’ 

10 (18) The October 2021 White House Report on 

11 the Impact of Climate Change on Migration— 

12 (A) recommends that Congress should ex13 plore ‘‘the need for additional protections for 

14 individuals who can establish that they are flee15 ing serious, credible threats to their life or 

16 physical integrity as a result of climate 

17 change;’’ and 

18 (B) states ‘‘[t]he United States should 

19 identify ways to apply existing protection 

20 frameworks in the context of climate change-re21 lated displacement and to identify gaps where 

22 the United States should forge new legal path23 ways to protection.’’ 

24 (19) As noted in a March 2023 report by the 

25 U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants’ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HR 6455 IH

1 International Refugee Assistance Project and the 

2 Human Security Initiative, many asylum seekers 

3 have cited the destruction of their homes, agricul4 tural lands, and businesses due to climate-related 

5 causes as contributing to their decisions to flee, as 

6 these climate-related environmental disasters exacer7 bated their conditions of marginalization. 

8 (20) The United Nations Human Rights Coun9 cil has recognized that climate change poses an exis10 tential threat that has already negatively affected 

11 the fulfillment of human rights, specifically noting 

12 that— 

13 (A) ‘‘all States should, when taking action 

14 to address climate change, respect, promote and 

15 consider their respective obligations on human 

16 rights’’; and 

17 (B) ‘‘the adverse effects of climate change 

18 are felt most acutely by those segments of the 

19 population that are already in vulnerable situa20 tions owing to factors such as geography, pov21 erty, gender, age, indigenous or minority status, 

22 national or social origin, birth or other status 

23 and disability’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (21) The effects of climate change also exacer2 bate social, economic, and political tensions within 

3 and among nations. 

4 (22) The UNHCR Global Trends Report 2020 

5 found, ‘‘95 percent of all conflict displacements in 

6 2020 occurred in countries vulnerable or highly vul7 nerable to climate change. Disasters can also strike 

8 populations already uprooted by conflict, forcing 

9 them to flee multiple times, as was the case with [in10 ternally displaced persons] in Yemen, Syria and So11 malia and refugees in Bangladesh.’’ 

12 (23) Climate-vulnerable states experiencing pro13 tracted conflict, such as Afghanistan or Yemen, can 

14 be affected by multiple climate-related threats simul15 taneously, such as— 

16 (A) drought and flooding events in Afghan17 istan; and 

18 (B) drought, desertification, and cyclones 

19 affecting Yemen. 

20 (24) In their 2022 report ‘‘Migration as a Cli21 mate Adaptation Strategy’’ USAID found— 

22 (A) ‘‘Migration has the potential to serve 

23 as an important adaptation and risk manage24 ment strategy for climate-impacted popu25 lations’’; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (B) ‘‘Migration is not an adaptation strat2 egy available to everyone due to pre-existing 

3 vulnerabilities, a lack of resources, or systemic 

4 inequalities;’’ and 

5 (C) ‘‘Voluntary and proactive migration 

6 can benefit migrants, their households, sending 

7 communities, and receiving communities. Bene8 fits include livelihood diversification, increased 

9 income and remittances, and knowledge and 

10 skills transfer. Receiving communities can ben11 efit from an increased labor pool and an influx 

12 of migrant spending and support services.’’ 

13 (25) The Office of the United Nations High 

14 Commissioner for Human Rights has suggested that 

15 a person displaced across borders due to climate re16 lated events— 

17 (A) has the right to not be returned to a 

18 country where such person would have irrep19 arable harm to their right to life; 

20 (B) should be considered a victim of forced 

21 displacement; and 

22 (C) should be granted at least a temporary 

23 stay in the country where they have found ref24 uge. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (26) Displaced individuals, including individuals 

2 affected by climate change, can seek protective stay 

3 in third countries through humanitarian pathways, 

4 family reunification processes, labor-based visas, and 

5 other complementary pathways with a humanitarian 

6 focus. 

7 (27) Recognizing the human rights implications 

8 of climate change, countries have begun to explore 

9 humanitarian pathways for those displaced by cli10 mate-related environmental disasters, such as the 

11 Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, En12 vironment and Climate Change and Argentina’s re13 cently announced humanitarian visa program. 

14 (28) A CARE International report, ‘‘Evicted by 

15 Climate Change: Confronting the Gendered Impacts 

16 of Climate-Induced Displacement’’, which was pub17 lished in July 2020, notes that— 

18 (A) ‘‘the climate crisis exacerbates gender 

19 inequality and makes it harder to achieve gen20 der justice’’; 

21 (B) ‘‘in 2018, more than half of the 41 

22 million people internally displaced were 

23 women’’; 

24 (C) ‘‘[p]oor women and children are up to 

25 14 times more likely to be killed than men by 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•HR 6455 IH

1 a climate-fueled disaster, such as a hurricane, 

2 typhoon, cyclone, or flood’’; and 

3 (D) ‘‘[w]omen who are displaced by cli4 mate change related impacts often have less ac5 cess to relief resources’’. 

6 (29) Members of LGBTQ+ communities are 

7 disproportionately affected by institutional discrimi8 nation in the housing, employment, and health sec9 tors, which reduces their capacity to cope with the 

10 impacts of climate change. 

11 (30) Black immigrants and other immigrants of 

12 color face higher rates of displacement due to cli13 mate change, but are also more often discriminated 

14 against in immigration policies and systems. 

15 (31) A December 2019 Oxfam International re16 port found that climate-related events forced an esti17 mated 20,000,000 people from their homes every 

18 year during the previous decade. 

19 (32) A 2021 national intelligence estimate from 

20 the National Intelligence Council, entitled ‘‘Climate 

21 Change and International Responses Increasing 

22 Challenges to U.S. National Security Through 

23 2040’’, predicted ‘‘cross-border migration probably 

24 will increase as climate effects put added stress on 

25 internally displaced populations’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
14 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (33) A 2022 study by the Loss and Damage 

2 Collaboration found that an estimated 189,000,000 

3 people in low income countries are impacted by ex4 treme weather events exacerbated by climate change 

5 every year. 

6 (34) An October 2023 United Nations Inter7 national Children’s Emergency Fund study found 

8 that 43,100,000 children in 44 countries were dis9 placed from 2016 to 2021 due to floods, storms, 

10 droughts, and wildfires. 

11 (35) Ecological Threat Register 2020, which 

12 was published by the Institute for Economics & 

13 Peace— 

14 (A) projects that climate-related threats 

15 will continue to cause significant displacement 

16 worldwide during the coming decades; and 

17 (B) stated that 19 countries, with a com18 bined population of 2,100,000,000 people, are 

19 most at risk for displacement given population 

20 growth, water stress, food insecurity, droughts, 

21 floods, cyclones, and rising temperature and sea 

22 levels. 

23 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con24 gress that the United States should— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
15 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (1) reduce its domestic greenhouse gas emis2 sions on a scale and rate proportionate to its histor3 ical responsibility and in recognition of the urgency 

4 of the threat of climate change; 

5 (2) welcome the shared responsibility of climate 

6 change adaptation, global disaster risk reduction, re7 siliency building, and disaster response and recovery; 

8 (3) assist in providing durable solutions for cli9 mate-displaced persons; 

10 (4) aid other countries in their climate change 

11 mitigation efforts; and 

12 (5) work with the international community— 

13 (A) to establish a framework to share the 

14 responsibilities described in paragraphs (2) 

15 through (4); and 

16 (B) to ensure that the human rights of cli17 mate-displaced persons are acknowledged, re18 spected, protected, and fulfilled. 

19 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS IN THE IMMIGRATION AND NATION20 ALITY ACT. 

21 Section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 

22 Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)) is amended— 

23 (1) by striking paragraph (8) and inserting the 

24 following: 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
16 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(8) The term ‘climate-displaced person’ means any 

2 person who— 

3 ‘‘(A) is compelled to leave his or her habitual 

4 home, either within his or her country of nationality 

5 or in another country, due to— 

6 ‘‘(i) a climate-related environmental dis7 aster; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) the interaction of a climate-related 

9 environmental disaster with other factors, in10 cluding resource constraints, food insecurity, 

11 discrimination, persecution, or human rights 

12 abuses; and 

13 ‘‘(B) is unable to otherwise access a durable so14 lution, such as local integration or safe and vol15 untary returns to his or her habitual place of resi16 dence due to a climate-related environmental dis17 aster that— 

18 ‘‘(i) has rendered his or her habitual place 

19 of residence uninhabitable; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) has prevented safe integration or vol21 untary returns, including through targeted vio22 lence, discrimination, human rights abuses, food 

23 insecurity, and other forms of harm. 

24 ‘‘(9) The term ‘climate-related environmental dis25 aster’— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
17 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(A) means a hydro-meteorological or other cli2 matic event related to the Earth’s climate that ad3 versely affects persons’ lives, livelihoods, or living 

4 conditions; and 

5 ‘‘(B) includes— 

6 ‘‘(i) sudden-onset hydro-meteorological 

7 events, including— 

8 ‘‘(I) flooding; 

9 ‘‘(II) windstorms; 

10 ‘‘(III) heatwaves; 

11 ‘‘(IV) extreme wet-bulb temperatures; 

12 ‘‘(V) violent storms, such as blizzards; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(VI) hurricanes, typhoons, or cy15 clones; 

16 ‘‘(ii) sudden-onset events that are exacer17 bated by conditions related to climate change, 

18 including wildfires, mudslides, and avalanches; 

19 ‘‘(iii) slow-onset events, including— 

20 ‘‘(I) sea level rise or coastal inunda21 tion; 

22 ‘‘(II) drought; 

23 ‘‘(III) desertification; 

24 ‘‘(IV) salinization; 

25 ‘‘(V) ocean acidification; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
18 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(VI) erosion; and 

2 ‘‘(VII) permafrost thaw; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) slow- and sudden-onset events with a 

4 relationship to climate change that is subse5 quently attributed by further scientific re6 search.’’; and 

7 (2) by amending paragraph (34) to read as fol8 lows: 

9 ‘‘(34) The term ‘designated application center’ means 

10 any United States embassy or consulate or other facility 

11 delegated by the Secretary of State to accept applications 

12 for climate-displaced person status under section 244A.’’. 

13 SEC. 4. REQUIRED DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING. 

14 (a) DATA COLLECTION.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall ensure 

16 that the Department of Commerce, the Environ17 mental Protection Agency, the Department of State, 

18 the United States Agency for International Develop19 ment, the Office of the Director of National Intel20 ligence, the Department of Defense, the Department 

21 of Homeland Security, and other relevant Federal 

22 agencies collect, maintain, and publish data on dis23 placement caused by climate change. 

24 (2) SOURCES.—Sources of the data described in 

25 paragraph (1) shall include information from— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
19 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (A) the International Organization for Mi2 gration; 

3 (B) the United Nations Refugee Agency 

4 (UNHCR); 

5 (C) the United Nations Children’s Fund; 

6 and 

7 (D) other international organizations that 

8 are collecting such data. 

9 (3) DISAGGREGATION.—Data shall be collected, 

10 maintained, and published pursuant to paragraph 

11 (1) at sufficient levels of disaggregation to assess 

12 the disparities of the impacts of climate change on 

13 a variety of groups and populations, including 

14 disaggregation by race, ethnicity, pregnancy status, 

15 parental status, socioeconomic status, country of res16 idence, and other relevant demographics to assess 

17 and ensure the equitable application of this Act and 

18 the amendments made by this Act. 

19 (4) MITIGATION.—The data described in this 

20 subsection shall be used to mitigate externally influ21 enced disparities in other countries to the extent fea22 sible. 

23 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there25 after, the President shall submit a report, in unclassified 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
20 

•HR 6455 IH

1 form, to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen2 ate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

3 of Representatives that— 

4 (1) details the collection and analysis of the 

5 data described in subsection (a); and 

6 (2) may include a classified annex. 

7 (c) LIST OF CLIMATE-VULNERABLE COUNTRIES.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

10 every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary of State, in 

11 consultation with the Department of Homeland Se12 curity, the United States Agency for International 

13 Development, and the National Oceanic and Atmos14 pheric Administration, shall compile a list of the 100 

15 most climate-vulnerable countries and other adminis16 trative entities through notice and comment rule17 making. 

18 (2) METHODOLOGY.—In compiling the list of 

19 climate-vulnerable countries pursuant to paragraph 

20 (1), the Secretary shall— 

21 (A) use the best available scientific re22 sources, including relevant data— 

23 (i) published by the Intergovernmental 

24 Panel on Climate Change; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
21 

•HR 6455 IH

1 (ii) available through the World 

2 Bank’s Climate Risk Country Profiles; and 

3 (iii) available through the Notre Dame 

4 Global Adaptation Initiative (ND–GAIN) 

5 Country Index; 

6 (B) consider the frequency and severity of 

7 climate-related environmental disasters; 

8 (C) consider the impact of both slow- and 

9 sudden-onset climate-related environmental dis10 asters; 

11 (D) consider the interaction of these cli12 mate-related environmental disasters with each 

13 country’s preparedness and resilience capacity, 

14 including physical and social infrastructure; and 

15 (E) consult with a committee of agency ex16 perts, including climate scientists, immigration 

17 and refugee lawyers, and adaptation specialists. 

18 SEC. 5. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE STRATEGY. 

19 Section 117 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

20 (22 U.S.C. 2151p) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(b)’’; and 

23 (B) by adding at the end the following: 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
22 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(2)(A) The President is authorized to furnish assist2 ance to programs and initiatives, including multilateral 

3 initiatives and funds that— 

4 ‘‘(i) promote resilience among communities fac5 ing harmful impacts from climate change; 

6 ‘‘(ii) reduce the vulnerability of persons affected 

7 by climate change; 

8 ‘‘(iii) address permanent loss and damage faced 

9 by affected marginalized communities; 

10 ‘‘(iv) provide support for community recovery, 

11 reconstruction, and rehabilitation after climate-re12 lated environmental disasters; 

13 ‘‘(v) promote sustainable peace through co14 operation on efforts to protect the earth against en15 vironmental threats and to address and minimize cli16 mate change; and 

17 ‘‘(vi) support climate-resilient programming 

18 that promotes peacebuilding to avert conflict due to 

19 scarcity of resources caused by climate change, in20 cluding scarcity of water, food, and grazing areas. 

21 ‘‘(B) There shall be, in the Department of State, a 

22 Coordinator of Climate Change Resilience, who shall co23 ordinate the assistance authorized under subparagraph 

24 (A).’’; and 

25 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
23 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(d)(1) The Secretary of State, in coordination with 

2 the Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter3 national Development (referred to in this subsection as 

4 ‘USAID’) and the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, 

5 shall establish a 10-year, comprehensive, integrated strat6 egy, which shall be known as the ‘Global Climate Change 

7 Resilience Strategy’, to mitigate the impacts of climate 

8 change on displacement and humanitarian emergencies. 

9 ‘‘(2) The Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy 

10 shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) focus on addressing slow-onset and rapid12 onset effects of climate change; 

13 ‘‘(B) consider the effects of climate change; 

14 ‘‘(C) describe the key features of successful 

15 strategies to prevent such conditions; 

16 ‘‘(D) include specific objectives and multisec17 toral approaches to the effects of climate change; 

18 ‘‘(E) describe approaches that ensure national 

19 leadership, as appropriate, and substantively engage 

20 with civil society, local partners, and the affected 

21 communities, including marginalized populations and 

22 underserved populations, in the design, implementa23 tion, and monitoring of climate change programs to 

24 best safeguard the future of those subject to dis25 placement; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
24 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(F) assign roles for relevant Federal agencies 

2 to avoid duplication of efforts, while ensuring that— 

3 ‘‘(i) the Department of State is responsible 

4 for— 

5 ‘‘(I) leading the Global Climate 

6 Change Resilience Strategy; 

7 ‘‘(II) establishing United States for8 eign policy with respect to such strategy; 

9 ‘‘(III) advancing diplomatic and polit10 ical efforts with respect to such strategy; 

11 ‘‘(IV) guiding security assistance and 

12 related civilian security efforts to mitigate 

13 climate change threats; and 

14 ‘‘(V) providing overseas humanitarian 

15 assistance— 

16 ‘‘(aa) to respond to international 

17 displacement caused by climate 

18 change; and 

19 ‘‘(bb) to coordinate the pursuit of 

20 protection and durable solutions for 

21 climate-displaced persons, including 

22 resettlement into the United States; 

23 ‘‘(ii) USAID is— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
25 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(I) responsible for overseeing pro2 grams to prevent the effects of climate 

3 change; and 

4 ‘‘(II) the lead implementing agency 

5 for— 

6 ‘‘(aa) providing overseas humani7 tarian assistance to respond to inter8 nal displacement and food insecurity 

9 caused by climate change; and 

10 ‘‘(bb) developing a related non11 security program policy related to 

12 building resilience and achieving re13 covery; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) other Federal agencies support the 

15 activities of the Department of State and 

16 USAID, as appropriate, with the concurrence of 

17 the Secretary of State and the USAID Admin18 istrator; 

19 ‘‘(G) describe programs that Federal agencies 

20 will undertake to achieve the stated objectives, in21 cluding descriptions of existing programs and fund22 ing by fiscal year and account; 

23 ‘‘(H) identify mechanisms to improve coordina24 tion between the United States, foreign govern25 ments, and international organizations, including the 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
26 

•HR 6455 IH

1 World Bank, the United Nations, regional organiza2 tions, and private sector organizations; 

3 ‘‘(I) address efforts to expand public-private 

4 partnerships and leverage private sector resources; 

5 ‘‘(J) describe the criteria, metrics, and mecha6 nisms for monitoring and evaluating the programs 

7 and objectives in the Global Climate Change Resil8 ience Strategy; 

9 ‘‘(K) describe how the Global Climate Change 

10 Resilience Strategy will ensure that programs are 

11 conflict-sensitive, country-led and context-specific; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(L) describe how the Global Climate Change 

14 Resilience Strategy is a means for peacebuilding, 

15 and is incorporated into peacebuilding, and post-con16 flict plans and programs. 

17 ‘‘(3) Not later than 270 days after the date of the 

18 enactment of the Climate Displaced Persons Act, and an19 nually thereafter, the President shall submit a report to 

20 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 

21 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep22 resentatives, based in part on the information collected 

23 pursuant to this section, that details the Global Climate 

24 Change Resilience Strategy. The report shall be submitted 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
27 

•HR 6455 IH

1 in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex, 

2 if necessary. 

3 ‘‘(4) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 

4 enactment of the Climate Displaced Persons Act, the Sec5 retary of State and the Coordinator of Global Climate 

6 Change Resilience shall brief the Committee on Foreign 

7 Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign 

8 Affairs of the House of Representatives on the progress 

9 made towards implementing the Global Climate Change 

10 Resilience Strategy. 

11 ‘‘(5)(A) Not later than 270 days after the date of 

12 the enactment of the Climate Displaced Persons Act, and 

13 annually thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United 

14 States, in cooperation and consultation with the Secretary 

15 of State, shall publish a report evaluating the progress 

16 that the Federal Government has made toward incor17 porating climate change into policies of the Department 

18 of State and USAID and describing the resources that 

19 have been allocated for such purpose. 

20 ‘‘(B) The report required under subparagraph (A) 

21 shall assess— 

22 ‘‘(i) the degree to which the Department of 

23 State and USAID are— 

24 ‘‘(I) developing climate change risk assess25 ments; and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
28 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(II) providing guidance to missions on 

2 how to include climate change risks in their in3 tegrated country strategies; 

4 ‘‘(ii) whether the Department of State and 

5 USAID have sufficient resources to fulfill the re6 quirements described in paragraph (2); and 

7 ‘‘(iii) any areas in which the Department of 

8 State and USAID may lack sufficient resources to 

9 fulfill the requirements described in paragraph (2).’’. 

10 SEC. 6. TRAINING IN CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE. 

11 (a) FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS.—Section 

12 708(a)(1) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 

13 4028(a)(1)) is amended— 

14 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

15 the end; 

16 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 

17 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(E) for Foreign Service Officers who will 

20 be assigned to a country from which climate21 displaced persons (as defined in section 

22 101(a)(8) of the Immigration and Nationality 

23 Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(8)) have been displaced, 

24 instruction on climate displacement, including 

25 the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
29 

•HR 6455 IH

1 established pursuant to section 117(d) of the 

2 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

3 2151p(d)).’’. 

4 (b) USCIS OFFICERS.—The Secretary of Homeland 

5 Security shall require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

6 Services officers who review applications for admission as 

7 a climate-displaced person (as defined in section 101(a)(8) 

8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended by 

9 section 3) to receive instruction on climate displacement, 

10 including the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy 

11 established pursuant to section 117(d) of the Foreign As12 sistance Act of 1961, as added by section 5. 

13 SEC. 7. GUIDANCE ON THE HUMANITARIAN IMPACTS OF 

14 CLIMATE CHANGE. 

15 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 

17 of State shall provide guidance to each United States dip18 lomatic mission, in accordance with Executive Order 

19 13677 (79 Fed. Reg. 58229; relating to climate-resilient 

20 international development), to address the humanitarian 

21 impacts associated with climate change. 

22 SEC. 8. ADMISSION OF CLIMATE-DISPLACED PERSONS. 

23 (a) ADMISSION OF CLIMATE-DISPLACED PERSONS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title II of the 

25 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151 et 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
30 

•HR 6455 IH

1 seq.) is amended by inserting after section 207 the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 207A. CLIMATE-DISPLACED PERSONS. 

4 ‘‘(a) ADMISSION GOAL.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the refugees 

6 admitted pursuant to section 207, the number of cli7 mate-displaced persons who may be admitted to the 

8 United States under this section in any fiscal year 

9 (beginning with fiscal year 2024) shall be not fewer 

10 than the greater of— 

11 ‘‘(A) 100,000; or 

12 ‘‘(B) the number that the President deter13 mines pursuant to paragraph (2), before the be14 ginning of each such fiscal year, after appro15 priate consultation with Congress, to be justi16 fied by— 

17 ‘‘(i) the data collected through the 

18 process established pursuant to section 4 

19 of the Climate Displaced Persons Act; 

20 ‘‘(ii) other humanitarian concerns; or 

21 ‘‘(iii) other national interests. 

22 ‘‘(2) EFFECT OF NUMERICAL ADJUSTMENT.—If 

23 a significant climate-related environmental disaster 

24 occurs in 1 or more of the climate-vulnerable coun25 tries included on the most recent list compiled purVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:55 Dec 01, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6455.IH H6455

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
31 

•HR 6455 IH

1 suant to section 4(c) of the Climate Displaced Per2 sons Act or if the President determines that the 

3 number of climate-displaced persons who should be 

4 admitted to the United States in a fiscal year based 

5 on humanitarian concerns or other national interests 

6 is greater than the number set forth in paragraph 

7 (1)(A), the President shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) set the admissions level for climate9 displaced persons at the same time as the 

10 President determines the number of refugees 

11 who may be admitted in such fiscal year under 

12 section 207; and 

13 ‘‘(B) follow all of the procedures relating 

14 to refugee admissions under section 207, in15 cluding determinations of the President, after 

16 appropriate consultation with Congress, to fix 

17 the number of refugees to be admitted to the 

18 United States during the current period (not to 

19 exceed 12 months) in response to an emergency 

20 refugee situation. 

21 ‘‘(3) EQUITABLE ALLOCATION.—The President, 

22 in consultation with the Department of State, the 

23 Department of Homeland Security, the United 

24 States Agency for International Development, the 

25 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
32 

•HR 6455 IH

1 and other relevant Federal agencies, shall establish 

2 a process by which admissions authorized under this 

3 section shall be allocated in an equitable manner, 

4 taking into consideration the list of 100 most cli5 mate-vulnerable countries and other administrative 

6 entities compiled pursuant to section 4(c) of the Cli7 mate Displaced Persons Act and the demographic 

8 data described in section 4(a) of such Act. 

9 ‘‘(b) ADMISSIBILITY; APPLICATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

11 ‘‘(A) ADMISSIBILITY.—Subject to the nu12 merical limitation set forth in subsection (a), 

13 the Secretary of Homeland Security, pursuant 

14 to such regulations as the Secretary may pre15 scribe, may admit any climate-displaced person 

16 under this section who— 

17 ‘‘(i) is admissible; 

18 ‘‘(ii) is not described in paragraph 

19 (2); and 

20 ‘‘(iii) is not described in section 

21 208(b)(2). 

22 ‘‘(B) APPLICATIONS.—Any noncitizen de23 scribed in subparagraph (A), regardless of such 

24 noncitizen’s immigration status, may apply for 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
33 

•HR 6455 IH

1 admission as a climate-displaced person if the 

2 noncitizen— 

3 ‘‘(i) is physically present in the 

4 United States; 

5 ‘‘(ii) arrives in the United States 

6 (whether or not at a designated port of ar7 rival and including a noncitizen who is 

8 brought to the United States after having 

9 been interdicted in international or United 

10 States waters); or 

11 ‘‘(iii) applies at a designated applica12 tion center. 

13 ‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.—Except as provided in 

14 paragraph (3), a noncitizen may not apply for status 

15 as a climate-displaced person if— 

16 ‘‘(A) the Secretary of Homeland Security 

17 determines that such noncitizen may be re18 moved, pursuant to a bilateral or multilateral 

19 agreement, to a country (other than the country 

20 of the noncitizen’s nationality or, in the case of 

21 a noncitizen having no nationality, the country 

22 of the noncitizen’s last habitual residence) that 

23 is outside of the zone in which the sudden or 

24 progressive change in the environment obliged 

25 the noncitizen to leave their residence, provided 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
34 

•HR 6455 IH

1 that such determination does not violate the 

2 human rights obligations of the United States; 

3 ‘‘(B) the application is not filed within 1 

4 year after the date of the noncitizen’s arrival in 

5 the United States; or 

6 ‘‘(C) an earlier application by the noncit7 izen for climate-displaced person status has 

8 been denied. 

9 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) UNACCOMPANIED NONCITIZEN CHIL11 DREN.—Paragraph (2) shall not apply to an 

12 unaccompanied alien child (as defined in section 

13 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

14 (6 U.S.C. 279(g))). 

15 ‘‘(B) CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES.—Sub16 paragraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (2) shall 

17 not apply if the noncitizen demonstrates, to the 

18 satisfaction of the Secretary of Homeland Secu19 rity, that— 

20 ‘‘(i) extraordinary circumstances pre21 vented the noncitizen from filing an appli22 cation within the period specified in para23 graph (2)(B); or 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
35 

•HR 6455 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) changed circumstances materially 

2 affect the applicant’s eligibility for climate3 displaced person status. 

4 ‘‘(C) REFERRALS AUTHORIZED.—The Sec5 retary of State may accept applications sub6 mitted on behalf of eligible applicants for cli7 mate-displaced person status by qualified inter8 national agencies. 

9 ‘‘(4) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

10 under this subsection shall contain such information 

11 as the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 

12 Secretary of Homeland Security, determines to be 

13 necessary to determine whether the applicant is eli14 gible for admission as a climate-displaced person. 

15 ‘‘(5) FEES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

17 subparagraph (B), an applicant for climate-dis18 placed person status shall not be charged a fee. 

19 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—If a noncitizen has ap20 plied for, and been denied, climate-displaced 

21 person status on 2 or more previous occasions, 

22 the Secretary of Homeland Security may charge 

23 a reasonable fee for a third application and any 

24 subsequent applications, which shall set at a 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
36 

•HR 6455 IH

1 level equal to the average cost of adjudicating 

2 such applications. 

3 ‘‘(c) TREATMENT OF CLIMATE-DISPLACED PER4 SONS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A noncitizen who qualifies 

6 for climate-displaced person status under this sec7 tion shall be eligible for resettlement assistance, en8 titlement programs, and other benefits available to 

9 refugees and asylees admitted pursuant to section 

10 207. 

11 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT OF CHILDREN AND

12 SPOUSE.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A spouse or a child 

14 (as defined in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), 

15 or (E) of section 101(b)(1)) of a noncitizen who 

16 is granted climate-displaced person status 

17 under this section may, if not otherwise eligible 

18 for such status, be granted the same status as 

19 the climate-displaced person if accompanying, 

20 or following to join, such noncitizen. 

21 ‘‘(B) TREATMENT OF CHILDREN.—An un22 married noncitizen who seeks to accompany, or 

23 follow to join, a parent or guardian granted cli24 mate-displaced person status under this section, 

25 and who was younger than 21 years of age on 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
37 

•HR 6455 IH

1 the date on which such parent or guardian ap2 plied for such status, shall continue to be classi3 fied as a child for purposes of this subsection 

4 and section 209(b)(3), if the noncitizen reaches 

5 21 years of age while such application is pend6 ing. 

7 ‘‘(d) DEFINED TERM.—In this section, the term 

8 ‘noncitizen’ means any person who is not a citizen or na9 tional of the United States.’’. 

10 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con11 tents for the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

12 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended by inserting after the 

13 item relating to section 207 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 207A. Climate-displaced persons.’’. 

14 (b) ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.—Section 209(a)(1) of 

15 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1159(a)) 

16 is amended, in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 

17 by inserting ‘‘or 207A’’ after ‘‘207’’. 

18 (c) SAVINGS PROVISION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in section 207A of 

20 the Immigration and Nationality Act, as added by 

21 subsection (a)(1), may be construed to affect the 

22 United States commitment to the United States Ref23 ugee Admissions Program. 

24 (2) ADDITIONAL PROTECTIONS.—The protec25 tions described in such section 207A are in addition 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
38 

•HR 6455 IH

1 to the refugee admissions goal established by the 

2 Presidential determination described in subsection 

3 (a)(1)(B) of such section. 

4 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

6 as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB