599 
SEC. 609. BUILDING UNITED STATES ECONOMIC GROWTH 
AND 
TECHNOLOGICAL 
INNOVATION 
THROUGH THE GREEN CLIMATE FUND. 
(a) GREEN CLIMATE FUND.— 
(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(A) climate change most severely impacts 
vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in 
the United States and around the world; 
(B) it is the responsibility of the United 
States Government to work with and press other 
countries to address environmental justice and 
climate justice; 
(C) the report of the United Nations Envi-
ronment Programme entitled ‘‘Climate Change 
and the Cost of Capital in Developing Coun-
tries’’, dated May 2018, found that, in the 10 
years prior to the publication of the report, cli-
mate vulnerability has cost the 20 nations most 
affected by catastrophes rooted in climate change 
an additional $62,000,000,000 in interest pay-
ments alone; 
(D) individuals and families, particularly 
communities of color, indigenous communities, 
and low-income communities, that are on the 
frontlines of climate change across the globe are 
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often in close proximity to environmental 
stressors or sources of pollution; 
(E) the communities described in subpara-
graph (D)— 
(i) are often the first exposed to the 
causes and impacts of climate change; and 
(ii) have the fewest resources with 
which to mitigate those impacts or to relo-
cate; 
(F) all efforts to adapt to and mitigate cli-
mate change must include specific protections for 
and acknowledgment of the harm of climate 
change to communities of color, indigenous peo-
ples, women, and other frontline communities 
and marginalized peoples around the world; 
(G) in Paris, on December 12, 2015, the 
parties to the United Nations Framework Con-
vention on Climate Change adopted the Paris 
Agreement, a benchmark agreement— 
(i) to combat climate change; 
(ii) to accelerate and intensify the ac-
tions and investments needed for a sustain-
able low carbon future; and 
(iii) 
that 
acknowledges, 
‘‘Parties 
should, when taking action to address cli-
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mate change, respect, promote and consider 
their respective obligations on human 
rights, the right to health, the rights of in-
digenous peoples, local communities, mi-
grants, children, persons with disabilities 
and people in vulnerable situations and the 
right to development, as well as gender 
equality, empowerment of women and inter-
generational equity’’; 
(H) the Paris Agreement— 
(i) notes the importance of ‘‘climate 
justice’’ when mitigating and adapting to 
climate change; and 
(ii) recognizes ‘‘the need for an effective 
and progressive response to the urgent 
threat of climate change’’; 
(I) it is imperative for all countries to un-
dertake mitigation activities to rapidly meet the 
goal of limiting global warming to not more 
than 1.5 degrees Celsius; 
(J) developed countries have the greatest ca-
pacity to mitigate their greenhouse gas emis-
sions, while— 
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(i) developing countries have the least 
capacity to engage in mitigation activities; 
and 
(ii) the capacity of developing coun-
tries to engage in mitigation activities is 
less than the national mitigation potential 
of those developing countries; 
(K) the determination for the fair share of 
mitigation and adaptation activities for each 
country must take into account— 
(i) the historic greenhouse gas emis-
sions of each country; and 
(ii) the current capacity of each coun-
try to both mitigate greenhouse gas emis-
sions and adapt to climate impacts; 
(L) developed countries that have histori-
cally emitted a disproportionately high share of 
greenhouse gas emissions, and reaped the eco-
nomic benefits of those polluting activities, have 
a corresponding disproportionately greater re-
sponsibility to engage in global mitigation and 
adaptation activities, as compared to less indus-
trialized countries that have historically polluted 
far less; 
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(M) the only realistic way for less industri-
alized countries to meet their full mitigation po-
tential is through international climate financ-
ing by more developed countries; 
(N) in the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, devel-
oped countries committed to jointly mobilize, 
starting in 2020, $100,000,000,000 per year in 
public climate financing (as well as private in-
vestment and other alternative forms of finance), 
for developing countries, a commitment re-
affirmed in 2015 in Decision 1/CP.21 of the 
United Nations Framework Convention on Cli-
mate Change, Adoption of the Paris Agreement; 
(O) the $100,000,000,000 commitment de-
scribed in subparagraph (N) was a political 
compromise that falls short of the actual financ-
ing needs for climate action in developing coun-
tries; 
(P) Bloomberg New Energy Finance has es-
timated that the transition to renewable energy 
sources in developing countries will require hun-
dreds of billions of dollars annually; 
(Q) the United Nations Environment Pro-
gramme has estimated that adaptation needs re-
lating to climate change in developing countries 
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may be as much as $300,000,000,000 annually 
by 2030; 
(R) the Green Climate Fund was created in 
2010 by 194 countries to serve as a crucial fi-
nancing mechanism to help developing countries 
limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 
adapt to climate change; 
(S) in 2015, the United Nations Framework 
Convention on Climate Change agreed that the 
Green Climate Fund should serve the goals of the 
Paris Agreement, which states that ‘‘developed 
country Parties shall provide financial resources 
to assist developing country Parties with respect 
to both mitigation and adaptation in continu-
ation of their existing obligations under the Con-
vention’’; 
(T) the Green Climate Fund is an essential 
institution for climate financing, as the Green 
Climate Fund ensures— 
(i) balanced governance between devel-
oped and developing countries; 
(ii) stakeholder engagement and dis-
course; 
(iii) a balanced approach between 
mitigation and adaptation; 
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(iv) fair and equal labor and working 
conditions; 
(v) conservation of biodiversity and 
critical habitats; and 
(vi) strong environmental, social, and 
gender protections; 
(U) the Green Climate Fund— 
(i) promotes and protects human rights 
and the rights of marginalized groups, in-
cluding indigenous peoples, women, chil-
dren, and people with disabilities; and 
(ii) continues to take steps to strength-
en protection for marginalized groups; 
(iii) the United States committed 
$3,000,000,000 of the first $10,000,000,000 
raised for the initial resource mobilization 
period of the Green Climate Fund, though 
only 1⁄3 of this pledge was fulfilled, leaving 
the United States the only country to fall 
substantially short of a commitment of a 
country to the Green Climate Fund; and 
(V) the Green Climate Fund is a fully oper-
ational and proven institution supporting well 
over 100 projects and programs in developing 
countries around the world. 
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(2) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of 
the United States to provide climate financing— 
(A) as an essential part of the global effort 
to combat climate change; and 
(B) that— 
(i) upholds the principles of environ-
mental justice and climate justice; 
(ii) supports programs and projects de-
veloped by recipient countries and commu-
nities; 
(iii) is designed and implemented with 
the free, prior, and informed consent of in-
digenous peoples and other impacted com-
munities; 
(iv) promotes gender equality as essen-
tial in all of the projects and programs sup-
ported by climate financing; 
(v) includes best practices for environ-
mental and social safeguards to ensure that 
projects and programs supported by climate 
financing 
respect 
fundamental 
human 
rights; and 
(vi) addresses both mitigation and ad-
aptation as essential aspects of responding 
to climate change. 
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(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated for contributions to the Green 
Climate Fund $4,000,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2022 and 2023. 
(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the climate financing needs to achieve the greenhouse 
gas emissions reductions required to keep the planet at or 
below 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming are signifi-
cantly greater than the amount of funds authorized to be 
appropriated under subsection (a). 
SEC. 610. ENSURING A WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT RESPONSE 
TO CLIMATE ACTION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State shall es-
tablish a Climate Impacts Task Force (referred to in this 
section as the ‘‘Task Force’’) with the mandate to— 
(1) monitor climate and related impacted social 
conditions to anticipate and prevent climate and en-
vironmental stressors from evolving into national se-
curity risks; 
(2) monitor and assess climate action under-
taken by other countries in response to national strat-
egies and international commitments, and coordinate 
closely with allies and partners to ensure a coordi-
nated response against any state or non-state actors, 
including the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and 
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PRC companies, undermining global climate objec-
tives, norms, and practices; 
(3) strengthen the efforts of the Department of 
State and the United States Government to act 
proactively to mitigate the human harms and poten-
tial for national security risks resulting from emerg-
ing events exacerbated by climate change; and 
(4) assist other Federal departments and agen-
cies, foreign partners, and multilateral organizations 
in their efforts to do the same. 
(b) LEADERSHIP.—The Secretary of State shall des-
ignate a senior career official, as appropriate, of the De-
partment of State to serve as the Chair of the Task Force. 
Such official shall report to the Secretary of State. 
(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Under the direction of the 
Chair, the Task Force shall— 
(1) meet regularly to ensure that events exacer-
bated by climate change and the risk of emerging 
events exacerbated by climate change throughout the 
world are adequately considered and addressed; 
(2) facilitate the development and execution of 
policies and tools to enhance the capacity of the 
United States to prevent and respond to emerging 
events exacerbated by climate change worldwide; 
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(3) monitor developments throughout the world 
that heighten the risk of emerging events exacerbated 
by climate change; 
(4) identify gaps in United States foreign policy 
related to the prevention of and response to emerging 
events exacerbated by climate change with respect to 
certain regions or particular countries; 
(5) incorporate lessons learned from past United 
States efforts to prevent and respond to emerging 
events exacerbated by climate change and other im-
pacts that are comparable in scope or severity; 
(6) provide the Secretary of State with rec-
ommendations and potential improvements to poli-
cies, programs, resources, and tools related to the pre-
vention of and response to emerging events exacer-
bated by climate change; 
(7) coordinate the Department of State’s engage-
ment in interagency processes led by the National Se-
curity Council that share the Task Force’s objectives; 
(8) conduct outreach not less frequently than bi-
annually, with representatives of nongovernmental or-
ganizations dedicated to the prevention of and re-
sponse to emerging events exacerbated by climate 
change and other appropriate parties, to— 
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(A) receive assistance relating to the Task 
Force’s efforts to address emerging events exacer-
bated by climate change and develop new or im-
proved policies, programs, resources, and tools; 
and 
(B) provide a public understanding of the 
work of the Task Force; 
(9) in carrying out paragraphs (1) through (9), 
focus on particular ways for the United States to de-
velop, strengthen, and enhance its capabilities to— 
(A) monitor, receive early warning of, and 
coordinate responses to potential emerging events 
exacerbated by climate change; 
(B) engage allies and partners, including 
multilateral and regional institutions, to build 
capacities and mobilize action for preventing 
and responding to emerging events exacerbated 
by climate change; 
(C) encourage the deployment of civilian 
advisors to prevent and respond to emerging 
events exacerbated by climate change; 
(D) increase the capacity of and develop 
doctrine for the United States Foreign Service, 
civil service, Armed Forces, development profes-
sionals, and other actors to engage in the full 
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spectrum of activities to prevent and respond to 
emerging events exacerbated by climate change; 
(E) develop and implement tailored foreign 
assistance programs that address and mitigate 
the risks of emerging events exacerbated by cli-
mate change; 
(F) ensure intelligence collection, analysis, 
and sharing of appropriate information; and 
(G) address any other issues that the Task 
Force determines appropriate; 
(10) in carrying out paragraphs (1) through (9), 
receive support from bureaus and offices of the De-
partment of State, as the Secretary of State deter-
mines appropriate; and 
(11) facilitate annual coordination between the 
Department of State and other appropriate depart-
ments and agencies to ensure international and do-
mestic climate change objectives are aligned. 
(d) COMPOSITION.—The Task Force shall— 
(1) seek to ensure that its efforts complement and 
support interagency processes led by the National Se-
curity Council that share the Task Force’s objectives; 
and 
(2) operate with regular consultation and par-
ticipation of designated representatives, at the Assist-
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ant Secretary level or higher, from all such executive 
departments, agencies, or offices as the Chair may 
designate. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and every 2 years thereafter 
for the following 10 years, the Secretary of State, in con-
sultation with the Task Force, shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appro-
priations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives an unclassified report, with a classified 
annex if necessary, that includes— 
(1) a review, in consultation with the designated 
representatives specified in subsection (d), consisting 
of— 
(A) an evaluation of the efficacy of current 
efforts based on United States and locally identi-
fied indicators, including capacities and con-
straints for United States Government-wide de-
tection, early warning and response, informa-
tion-sharing, contingency planning, and coordi-
nation of efforts to prevent and respond to 
emerging events exacerbated by climate change; 
(B) an assessment of the funding expended 
by relevant Federal departments and agencies on 
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emerging events exacerbated by climate change 
and the legal, procedural, and resource con-
straints faced by the Department of State and 
the United States Agency for International De-
velopment throughout respective budgeting, stra-
tegic planning, and management cycles to sup-
port the prevention of and response to emerging 
events exacerbated by climate change; 
(C) current annual global assessments of 
emerging events exacerbated by climate change; 
(D) recommendations to further strengthen 
United States capabilities described in subpara-
graph (A); and 
(E) consideration of analysis, reporting, 
and policy recommendations by civil society, 
academic, and other nongovernmental organiza-
tions and institutions to prevent and respond to 
emerging events exacerbated by climate change; 
(2) recommendations to ensure shared responsi-
bility by— 
(A) enhancing multilateral mechanisms for 
preventing, mitigating, and responding to emerg-
ing events exacerbated by climate change; and 
(B) strengthening regional organizations; 
and 
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(3) the implementation status of the rec-
ommendations included in the review under para-
graph (1). 
(f) BRIEFINGS
AND MATERIALS.—The Chair and 
members of the Task Force shall, not less frequently than 
annually, provide briefings and materials to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. 
(g) REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTEL-
LIGENCE.—The Director of National Intelligence is encour-
aged to include, in his or her annual (or more often as ap-
propriate) unclassified testimony, accompanied by a classi-
fied annex, if necessary, to Congress on threats to United 
States national security— 
(1) a review of countries and regions at risk of 
emerging events exacerbated by climate change; and 
(2) whenever possible, specific identification of 
countries and regions at immediate risk of emerging 
events exacerbated by climate change. 
(h) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that rapid and robust climate change response mechanisms, 
including the establishment of the Task Force, are critical 
for ensuring other countries remain accountable to their cli-
mate action commitments as well as preserving the national 
security and economic interests of the United States. 
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SEC. 611. WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS TO 
REDUCE DEFORESTATION. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is 
having a substantial impact on the most important 
forest ecosystems in the world, and illegal logging and 
agricultural expansion have caused the massive forest 
loss. According to the World Resources Institute, the 
PRC has become the world’s leading importer and 
consumer of timber products, soybeans, and palm oil, 
as well as the largest manufacturing and export coun-
try of forest products. 
(2) In 2016, the PRC imported logs from more 
than 100 countries in the world. According to a Glob-
al Witness report, between January 2013 and April 
2020, Chinese financial institutions provided more 
than $22.5 billion to major companies that produce 
and trade commodities at high risk of driving defor-
estation. These commodities include beef, soy, palm 
oil, paper, pulp, rubber, and timber. 
(3) Further, the growing international demand 
for such agricultural commodities causes the majority 
of deforestation emissions globally, and most of the as-
sociated land-clearing violates applicable national or 
local laws. According to a 2021 Forest Trends report, 
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