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 resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 poli-
cies, 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, en-
croaching 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 be-
fore the industrial revolution was 275 parts per million; 
Whereas a scientifically derived target concentration of car-
bon dioxide in the atmosphere provides predictability, ac-
countability, 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 con-
stitute 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 at-
mospheric carbon dioxide; and 
Whereas prominent earth scientists such as James Hansen of 
NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Inter-
governmental 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 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
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•HRES 865 IH 
(1) the United States should adopt a target of 
350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide 
by which to evaluate domestic and international cli-
mate change policies; and 
(2) the United States should develop domestic 
and international policies that are sufficiently flexi-
ble to accommodate advancing science in the event 
that a change in the target of 350 parts per million 
of atmospheric carbon dioxide becomes warranted. 
Æ 
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