IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 589 
Expressing the need for immediate climate action in response to the United 
Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on 
the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 
Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. 
LOWENTHAL, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. KIL-
MER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. LEVIN of 
Michigan, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, 
Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. ROUDA, Mr. KEATING, Mr. SWALWELL of California, 
Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Ms. SHALALA, Mr. LEVIN of California, 
Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. CASE, Mr. TAKANO, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. WASSERMAN 
SCHULTZ, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. SCHRIER, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, Mr. BEYER, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. PORTER, Mr. NEGUSE, 
Mrs. DAVIS of California, and Mr. MORELLE) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Natural 
Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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 need for immediate climate action in response 
to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Cli-
mate Change Special Report on the Ocean and 
Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. 
Whereas every person on the planet benefits from a healthy 
ocean and a stable cryosphere; 
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Whereas the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the 
Earth’s surface; 
Whereas the cryosphere includes the frozen components of 
the Earth’s system, including snow, glaciers, ice sheets, 
ice shelves, icebergs, sea ice, and permafrost; 
Whereas glaciers, ice sheets, and permanent snow hold ap-
proximately 69 percent of Earth’s freshwater; 
Whereas the ocean generates the oxygen that we breathe, reg-
ulates our climate and weather patterns, supplies food, is 
a source of cultural value, supports tourism and trade, 
and is an untapped renewable energy resource; 
Whereas the ocean and cryosphere support biodiversity and 
regulate the global exchange of water, energy, and car-
bon; 
Whereas, on September 25, 2019, the United Nations Inter-
governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released 
the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a 
Changing Climate (SROCC); 
Whereas the SROCC is the most comprehensive scientific as-
sessment of the effects of climate change on our ocean 
and coasts, and polar and mountain ecosystems to date; 
Whereas more than 100 scientists from 36 countries pro-
duced the SROCC and it was reviewed by thousands of 
scientific experts from around the world; 
Whereas according to the SROCC— 
(1) the ocean has taken up more than 90 percent of 
excess heat in the climate system since 1970 and has 
warmed as a direct result of anthropogenic greenhouse 
gas emissions; 
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(2) marine heatwaves have very likely doubled in fre-
quency from 1982 to 2016 and are very likely to become 
longer-lasting, more intense, and more extensive; 
(3) the rate of ocean warming has more than dou-
bled since 1993; 
(4) the ocean has very likely absorbed up to 30 per-
cent of total anthropogenic carbon since the 1980s, caus-
ing the ocean to become more acidic; 
(5) the ocean is losing oxygen at an unprecedented 
rate, and oxygen loss will very likely emerge over 59 to 
80 percent of the ocean surface by 2031–2050; 
(6) harmful algal blooms have expanded and in-
creased in frequency in coastal environments since the 
1980s as a result of ocean warming, acidification, and ox-
ygen loss; 
(7) in some regions, fish and shellfish stocks are al-
ready on the brink of collapsing; 
(8) environmental stressors like ocean acidification, 
oxygen loss, and warming ocean temperatures are ex-
pected to further compromise the abundance, produc-
tivity, and food-web interactions of species; 
(9) the decrease in biodiversity, and decline and 
shifts in distribution of fisheries will affect the livelihoods 
and food-security of coastal communities; 
(10) warmer ocean temperatures are fueling extreme 
weather events; 
(11) currently rare extreme sea level events are ex-
pected to occur frequently by 2050; 
(12) in the absence of significant adaptation efforts, 
extreme events associated with sea level rise, like erosion, 
flooding, and salinization, are expected to significantly in-
crease; 
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(13) nearly 50 percent of coastal wetlands have been 
lost over the 20th century, and 20 to 90 percent of coast-
al wetlands are projected to be lost by 2100 as a result 
of sea level rise and habitat degradation; 
(14) coastal blue carbon ecosystems can contribute 
to climate mitigation by storing carbon; 
(15) river runoff in snow-dominated and glacier-fed 
basins are projected to change in response to projected 
snow cover and glacier decline; 
(16) glacial and snow meltwater reductions have re-
sulted in reduced water supply, declined agriculture pro-
ductivity, and increased wildfires in mountain regions 
and the Arctic; 
(17) tourism and outdoor recreation activities have 
been negatively affected by the cryosphere decline; 
(18) Arctic sea ice is declining in all months of the 
year and sea-ice free summers are increasingly likely 
under 2°C of global warming; 
(19) Arctic surface air temperatures have likely in-
creased by more than double the global average in the 
last two decades, resulting in more sea ice and snow 
cover loss; and 
(20) widespread thaw and degradation of permafrost 
is projected to occur this century and is anticipated to re-
lease tens to hundreds of billions of tons of carbon diox-
ide and methane into the atmosphere; 
Whereas the United States is already facing the consequences 
of inaction on climate change; 
Whereas communities of color, Indigenous communities, and 
low-income communities often face the disproportionate 
effects of inaction on climate change; 
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Whereas reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to 
a clean energy economy, and investing in climate adapta-
tion efforts can support good-paying jobs; 
Whereas, in 2018, the IPCC released a special report titled 
‘‘Global Warming of 1.5°C’’ which found that to limit 
global warming to 1.5°C, net global greenhouse gas emis-
sions must be reduced to 45 percent below 2010 levels by 
2030 and 100 percent below 2010 levels by 2050; 
Whereas the United States has a responsibility to enact poli-
cies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent 
below 2010 levels no later than 2030 and achieve net 
zero emissions no later than 2050; and 
Whereas as Congress enacts policies to put the country on a 
path to net zero emissions, there is an opportunity for 
the ocean to be part of the climate solution: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes and accepts the findings of the 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special 
Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing 
Climate; 
(2) commits to supporting ocean-centric solu-
tions to the climate crisis in conjunction with poli-
cies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions including— 
(A) strengthening, restoring, and pro-
tecting our wetlands, such as mangroves, tidal 
salt marshes, and seagrass meadows to store 
blue carbon; 
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(B) investing in ocean driven renewable en-
ergy, including offshore wind, tidal, and wave 
energy, that is responsibly sited and does not 
jeopardize the integrity of marine ecosystems; 
(C) supporting the electrification of the 
maritime industry and our ports; 
(D) advancing the exploration of the se-
questration potential of the deep sea; 
(E) permanently safeguarding our coasts 
from offshore oil and gas drilling; 
(F) designing Marine Protected Areas that 
safeguard ecosystems; and 
(G) strengthening scientific research and 
monitoring to improve adaptation efforts to 
changing ocean conditions; and 
(3) affirms that immediate action is needed to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect the 
health of our ocean and the stability of the 
cryosphere. 
Æ 
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