Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy climate for future generations, and to creating solutions for restoring the climate.

This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the United States is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy climate for future generations and creating solutions for restoring the climate.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 35 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 35

Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States is committed to 
  ensuring a safe and healthy climate for future generations, and to 
             creating solutions for restoring the climate.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 2019

  Mr. Raskin submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States is committed to 
  ensuring a safe and healthy climate for future generations, and to 
             creating solutions for restoring the climate.

Whereas humanity has a continuing obligation to provide future generations a 
        safe and healthy climate, similar to the climate of a hundred years ago;
Whereas the human species has never before lived with sustained atmospheric 
        carbon dioxide (CO<INF>2</INF>) levels above 300 parts per million 
        (ppm), which were exceeded in 1925;
Whereas current CO<INF>2</INF> levels are already about 410 ppm, and are 
        expected to rise to 450 ppm or higher by 2050, based on current Paris 
        Agreement goals;
Whereas the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that 
        temperatures corresponding to CO<INF>2</INF> levels of 450 ppm or above 
        will lead to grave damage to ecosystems;
Whereas restoring CO<INF>2</INF> to levels of 300 ppm requires removing about 1 
        trillion tons of CO<INF>2</INF> from the atmosphere, and doing that in 
        20 to 50 years requires removing 50 gigatons (GT) of CO<INF>2</INF> 
        (which is equal to 50 billion tons) per year from the atmosphere;
Whereas multiple methods capable of CO<INF>2</INF> removal from the atmosphere 
        at 50 GT CO<INF>2</INF> per year have been demonstrated, and annual 
        costs for implementing these methods are expected to be less than 1 to 3 
        percent of global gross domestic product (GDP);
Whereas if known methods prove to be incapable of removing 50 GT CO<INF>2</INF> 
        per year, then we must develop other methods that will restore a safe 
        and healthy climate for future generations;
Whereas scientists have researched methods for keeping warming below 2 C, but 
        have not yet researched the best methods to remove all excess 
        CO<INF>2</INF>, stop sea-level rise, and restore a safe and healthy 
        climate for future generations; and
Whereas declaring a goal of restoring a safe and healthy climate will encourage 
        scientists to research the most effective ways to restore safe 
        CO<INF>2</INF> levels, stop sea-level rise, and restore a safe and 
        healthy climate for future generations: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that the United States is committed to 
ensuring a safe and healthy climate for future generations, and to 
creating solutions for restoring the climate.
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