IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 453 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for the United States 
to address global climate change through the negotiation of fair and 
effective international commitments. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2006 
Mr. CARNAHAN (for himself and Mr. LEACH) submitted the following concur-
rent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Re-
lations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for 
the United States to address global climate change 
through the negotiation of fair and effective international 
commitments. 
Whereas there is a scientific consensus, as established by the 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and con-
firmed by the National Academy of Sciences, that the 
continued buildup of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in 
the atmosphere threatens the stability of the global cli-
mate; 
Whereas there are significant long-term risks to the economy 
and the environment of the United States from the tem-
perature increases and climatic disruptions that are pro-
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•HCON 453 IH 
jected to result from increased greenhouse gas concentra-
tions; 
Whereas the potential impacts of global climate change, in-
cluding long-term drought, famine, mass migration, and 
abrupt climatic shifts, may lead to international tensions 
and instability in regions affected and thereby have impli-
cations for the national security interests of the United 
States; 
Whereas the United States, as the largest economy in the 
world, is also the largest greenhouse gas emitter; 
Whereas the greenhouse gas emissions of the United States 
are currently projected to continue to rise; 
Whereas the greenhouse gas emissions of developing countries 
are rising more rapidly than the emissions of the United 
States and will soon surpass the greenhouse gas emis-
sions of the United States and other developed countries; 
Whereas reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the levels nec-
essary to avoid serious climatic disruption requires the 
introduction of new energy technologies and other cli-
mate-friendly technologies, the use of which results in low 
or no emissions of greenhouse gases or in the capture 
and storage of greenhouse gases; 
Whereas the development and sale of climate-friendly tech-
nologies in the United States and internationally presents 
economic opportunities for workers and businesses in the 
United States; 
Whereas climate-friendly technologies can improve air quality 
by reducing harmful pollutants from stationary and mo-
bile sources, and can enhance energy security by reducing 
reliance on imported oil, diversifying energy sources, and 
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reducing the vulnerability of energy delivery infrastruc-
ture; 
Whereas other industrialized countries are undertaking meas-
ures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which provide 
the industries in those countries with a competitive ad-
vantage in the growing global market for climate-friendly 
technologies; 
Whereas efforts to limit emissions growth in developing coun-
tries in a manner that is consistent with the development 
needs of those countries could establish significant mar-
kets for climate-friendly technologies and contribute to 
international efforts to address climate change; 
Whereas the United States Climate Change Science Program 
launched by President George W. Bush concluded in 
April 2006 that there is no longer a discrepancy between 
the rates of global average temperature increase observed 
at the Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, thereby 
strengthening the scientific evidence that human activity 
contributes significantly to global temperature increases; 
Whereas President Bush, in his State of the Union Address 
in January 2006, called on the United States to reduce 
its ‘‘addiction’’ to oil and focus its attention on devel-
oping cleaner, renewable, and sustainable energy sources; 
Whereas President Bush has launched the Asia-Pacific Part-
nership on Clean Development and Climate to coopera-
tively develop new and cleaner energy technologies and 
promote their use in fast developing nations like India 
and China; 
Whereas the national security of the United States will in-
creasingly depend on the deployment of diplomatic, mili-
tary, scientific, and economic resources toward solving 
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the problem of the over-reliance of the United States and 
the world on high-carbon energy; 
Whereas, at the December 2005 United Nations Climate 
Change Conference in Montreal, Canada, parties to the 
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
Change, with the concurrence of the United States, initi-
ated a new dialogue on long-term cooperative action to 
address climate change; 
Whereas the United States is a party to the United Nations 
Framework Convention on Climate Change, done at New 
York on May 9, 1992, and entered into force in 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Convention’’); 
Whereas the Convention sets a long-term objective of stabi-
lizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at 
a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic inter-
ference with the climate system; 
Whereas the Convention establishes that parties bear com-
mon but differentiated responsibilities for efforts to 
achieve the objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas con-
centrations; 
Whereas an effective global effort to address climate change 
must provide for commitments and action by all countries 
that are major emitters of greenhouse gases, developed 
and developing countries alike, and the widely varying 
circumstances among the developed and developing coun-
tries may require that such commitments and action 
vary; and 
Whereas the United States has the capability to lead the ef-
fort against global climate change: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the 
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United States should act to reduce the health, environ-
mental, economic, and national security risks posed by 
global climate change and foster sustained economic 
growth through a new generation of technologies, by— 
(1) participating in negotiations under the 
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
Change, done at New York on May 9, 1992, and en-
tered into force in 1994, and leading efforts in other 
international fora, with the objective of securing 
United States participation in agreements that— 
(A) advance and protect the economic and 
national security interests of the United States; 
(B) establish mitigation commitments by 
all countries that are major emitters of green-
house gases, consistent with the principle of 
common but differentiated responsibilities; 
(C) establish flexible international mecha-
nisms to minimize the cost of efforts by partici-
pating countries; and 
(D) achieve a significant long-term reduc-
tion in global greenhouse gas emissions; and 
(2) establishing a bipartisan observer group in 
the House of Representatives and the Senate, the 
members of which shall be designated by the chair-
man and ranking member of the Committee on 
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International Relations of the House of Representa-
tives and the chairman and ranking member of the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, to— 
(A) monitor any international negotiations 
on climate change; and 
(B) ensure that the advice and consent 
function of the Senate is exercised in a manner 
to facilitate timely consideration of any applica-
ble treaty submitted to the Senate. 
Æ 
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