IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 865 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 

should adopt a target of 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon 

dioxide by which to evaluate domestic and international climate change 

policies, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 23, 2009 

Mr. KUCINICH (for himself and Mr. FILNER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 

in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the United States should adopt a target of 350 parts 

per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide by which to 

evaluate domestic and international climate change policies, and for other purposes. 

Whereas the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the 

atmosphere is approximately 390 parts per million; 

Whereas the effects of climate change are already being felt 

around the world in the form of extreme weather, encroaching disease, water shortages, acidifying oceans, 

species loss, and increasing atmospheric temperatures; 

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•HRES 865 IH 

Whereas the scientific consensus is that climate change is 

caused by increases in concentrations of carbon dioxide 

and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from 

human activity; 

Whereas the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide before the industrial revolution was 275 parts per million; 

Whereas a scientifically derived target concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere provides predictability, accountability, and consistency; 

Whereas it may be impossible to know when a tipping point 

will pass until it has already passed; 

Whereas ecological changes which could contribute to or constitute tipping points include the amount of reflective 

surface area on the Earth now provided primarily by ice 

and snow; the release of gigatons of methane deposits, 

which have well over 15 times the warming capacity of 

carbon dioxide, in permafrost or at the bottom of the 

ocean; and the growing acidification of the ocean and loss 

of forest cover due to deforestation and forest fires, 

which is hindering their ability to continue to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide; and 

Whereas prominent earth scientists such as James Hansen of 

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chair and Nobel 

Laureate Rajendra Pachauri, as well as global leaders 

and Nobel Laureates such as Al Gore and Archbishop 

Desmond Tutu support a target concentration of 350 

parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

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•HRES 865 IH 

1 (1) the United States should adopt a target of 

2 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide 

3 by which to evaluate domestic and international cli4 mate change policies; and 

5 (2) the United States should develop domestic 

6 and international policies that are sufficiently flexi7 ble to accommodate advancing science in the event 

8 that a change in the target of 350 parts per million 

9 of atmospheric carbon dioxide becomes warranted. 

Æ 

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