III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 244 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the ‘‘Laudato Si’’ encyclical 

of Pope Francis, and global climate change. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 5, 2015 

Mr. FRANKEN (for himself, Mr. UDALL, Mr. LEAHY, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. 

MERKLEY, and Mr. SANDERS) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the ‘‘Laudato 

Si’’ encyclical of Pope Francis, and global climate change. 

Whereas, on June 18, 2015, Pope Francis published an encyclical letter on the environment that— 

(1) declares, ‘‘A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea 

level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme 

weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause 

cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon. Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat 

this warming or at least the human causes which produce 

or aggravate it. It is true that there are other factors 


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•SRES 244 IS 

(such as volcanic activity, variations in the earth’s orbit 

and axis, the solar cycle), yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades 

is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases 

(carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity.’’; 

(2) states, ‘‘If present trends continue, this century 

may well witness extraordinary climate change and an 

unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious 

consequences for all of us. A rise in the sea level, for example, can create extremely serious situations, if we consider that a quarter of the world’s population lives on the 

coast or nearby, and that the majority of our megacities 

are situated in coastal areas.’’; 

(3) affirms, ‘‘There is an urgent need to develop 

policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of 

carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be 

drastically reduced, for example, substituting for fossil 

fuels and developing sources of renewable energy. Worldwide there is minimal access to clean and renewable energy. There is still a need to develop adequate storage 

technologies.’’; 

(4) emphasizes, ‘‘The deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on 

the planet: ‘Both everyday experience and scientific research show that the gravest effects of all attacks on the 

environment are suffered by the poorest’.’’; and 

(5) proclaims, ‘‘Climate change is a global problem 

with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, 

political and for the distribution of goods. It represents 

one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our 

day.’’; 


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•SRES 244 IS 

Whereas leading scientific organizations in the United States 

have affirmed that human activity is the primary cause 

of climate change, including the American Association for 

the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of 

Sciences, the American Meteorological Society, the American Chemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, 

the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and many 

others; 

Whereas the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s 2014 

National Climate Assessment documents that, over the 

past several decades, as a result of climate change, the 

United States has experienced more frequent and intense 

heat waves, record droughts, increased flooding in certain 

regions, increased hurricane intensity, frequency, and duration, increased frequency and intensity of winter 

storms, rising sea levels, and other ecologically problematic trends; and 

Whereas if present climate trends persist, the effects of a 

warming planet will become more catastrophic, as the 

2014 National Climate Assessment states, ‘‘Children, the 

elderly, the sick, and the poor are especially vulnerable. 

There is mounting evidence that harm to the nation will 

increase substantially in the future unless global emissions of heat-trapping gases are greatly reduced.’’: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate stands with Pope Francis 

2 and the scientific consensus that— 

3 (1) human activity is the primary driver of cli4 mate change; 

5 (2) present climate trends are unsustainable; 

6 and 


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•SRES 244 IS 

1 (3) immediate action must be taken to signifi2 cantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to 

3 limit the deleterious effects of human-induced cli4 mate change. 

Æ 


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