IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1552 
Supporting a legally binding global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions and provide financial assistance to the poorest and most vulner-
able nations for adaptation and mitigation measures, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2010 
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting a legally binding global agreement to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions and provide financial assistance 
to the poorest and most vulnerable nations for adaptation 
and mitigation measures, and for other purposes. 
Whereas, on December 18, 2009, the Conference of the Party 
nations took note of the Copenhagen Accord, a non-bind-
ing agreement on greenhouse gas emissions reduction, 
during the 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties 
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
Change (UNFCCC) convened in Copenhagen, Denmark; 
Whereas a legally binding global agreement including mitiga-
tion and adaptation financing for developing countries 
provided by developed nations is the best approach to 
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•HRES 1552 IH 
prevent impacts of climate change such as increased fre-
quency and intensity of droughts, floods, and heat waves; 
Whereas the Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense 
Review 2010 states that ‘‘climate change will contribute 
to food and water scarcity, will increase the spread of dis-
ease, and may spur or exacerbate mass migration. While 
climate change alone does not cause conflict, it may act 
as an accelerant of instability or conflict, placing a bur-
den to respond on civilian institutions and militaries 
around the world . . . extreme weather events may lead 
to increased demands for defense support to civil authori-
ties for humanitarian assistance or disaster response both 
within the United States and overseas’’; 
Whereas developed countries’ pledges of financing for inter-
national mitigation and adaptation measures for devel-
oping countries were crucial to achieving the Copenhagen 
Accord and will be essential to a legally binding global 
agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 
Whereas a 2 degree Celsius average global temperature rise 
above pre-industrial levels, the upper limit of global tem-
perature increase targeted by the scientific world and the 
parties to the Copenhagen Accord, will disproportionately 
affect the developing world according to the World Bank, 
including 75 to 80 percent of the global cost of damages 
resulting from climate change; 
Whereas the World Bank and UNFCCC estimate that such 
a 2 degree Celsius warming in average global tempera-
tures could result in a 4 to 5 percent permanent reduc-
tion in annual per capita income in Africa, a 12 to 50 
percent decrease in agricultural productivity in South 
America by 2100, and water shortages affecting 
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