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.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2888 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2888
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 28, 2021
Mr. Keating (for himself and Ms. Kaptur) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition
to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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