Rapid Response to Climate Impacts Act
Bill: H.R.2888 | Sponsor: Rep. Keating, William R. (D-MA)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Rapid Response to Climate Impacts Act
This bill requires the Department of State to establish a Climate Impacts Task Force, which must seek to prevent and mitigate the potential for national security risks arising from climate change and related social conditions.

To help prevent emerging events exacerbated by climate change, which 
   threaten national and international security, by enhancing United 
States Government capacities to prevent, mitigate, and respond to such 
                    events, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rapid Response to Climate Impacts 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CLIMATE IMPACTS TASK FORCE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall establish 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 environmental stressors 
        from evolving into national security risks;
            (2) strengthen the efforts of the Department of State and 
        the United States Government to act proactively to mitigate the 
        human harms and potential for national security risks resulting 
        from emerging events exacerbated by climate change; and
            (3) assist other Federal departments and agencies, foreign 
        partners, and multilateral organizations in their efforts to do 
        the same.
    (b) Leadership.--The Secretary of State shall designate a senior 
career official, as appropriate, of the Department 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 exacerbated 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;
            (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 impacts that are comparable in 
        scope or severity;
            (6) provide the Secretary of State with recommendations and 
        potential improvements to policies, programs, resources, and 
        tools related to the prevention of and response to emerging 
        events exacerbated by climate change;
            (7) coordinate the Department of State's engagement in 
        interagency processes led by the National Security Council that 
        share the Task Force's objectives;
            (8) conduct outreach not less frequently than biannually, 
        with representatives of nongovernmental organizations dedicated 
        to the prevention of and response to emerging events 
        exacerbated by climate change and other appropriate parties, 
        to--
                    (A) receive assistance relating to the Task Force's 
                efforts to address emerging events exacerbated by 
                climate change and develop new or improved 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 (8), focus on 
        particular ways for the United States to develop, 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 professionals, and other 
                actors to engage in the full 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 climate 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 (8), receive 
        support from bureaus and offices of the Department of State, as 
        the Secretary of State determines appropriate; and
            (11) facilitate annual coordination between the Department 
        of State, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental 
        Protection Agency to ensure international and domestic 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 Security Council that 
        share the Task Force's objectives; and
            (2) operate with regular consultation and participation of 
        designated representatives, at the Assistant Secretary level or 
        higher, of--
                    (A) the Department of State;
                    (B) the United States Agency for International 
                Development;
                    (C) the Department of Defense;
                    (D) the Department of Commerce;
                    (E) the Department of the Treasury;
                    (F) the Department of Energy;
                    (G) the Central Intelligence Agency;
                    (H) the Office of the Director of National 
                Intelligence;
                    (I) the United States Mission to the United 
                Nations;
                    (J) the National Security Council;
                    (K) the Environmental Protection Agency;
                    (L) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration;
                    (M) the National Aeronautics and Space 
                Administration;
                    (N) the United States Geological Survey; and
                    (O) such other 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 two years thereafter for the following 
ten years, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Task Force, 
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 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 identified 
                indicators, including capacities and constraints for 
                United States Government-wide detection, early warning 
                and response, information-sharing, contingency 
                planning, and coordination 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 emerging 
                events exacerbated by climate change and the legal, 
                procedural, and resource constraints faced by the 
                Department of State and the United States Agency for 
                International Development throughout respective 
                budgeting, strategic planning, and management cycles to 
                support 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 subparagraph (A); and
                    (E) consideration of analysis, reporting, and 
                policy recommendations by civil society, academic, and 
                other nongovernmental organizations and institutions to 
                prevent and respond to emerging events exacerbated by 
                climate change;
            (2) recommendations to ensure shared responsibility by--
                    (A) enhancing multilateral mechanisms for 
                preventing, mitigating, and responding to emerging 
                events exacerbated by climate change; and
                    (B) strengthening regional organizations; and
            (3) the implementation status of the recommendations 
        included in the review under paragraph (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 Intelligence.--The Director 
of National Intelligence is encouraged to include, in his or her annual 
(or more often as appropriate) unclassified testimony, accompanied by a 
classified 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 climate action commitments as well as preserving 
the national security and economic interests of the United States.
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