Congressional Resolution to Restore the Climate 

 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States is committed to ensuring a safe and

healthy climate for future generations, and thus to restoring the climate.

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WHEREAS,  Humanity has an obligation to future generations to restore and maintain a safe climate that humans have actually survived long term; and

 

WHEREAS, The human species has never before lived with sustained atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels above 300 parts per million (ppm); and

 

WHEREAS, Today’s atmospheric CO2 concentration is approximately 420 ppm, 40 percent higher than in preindustrial times, resulting in serious and worsening impacts on climate, agriculture, and business; and

 

WHEREAS, The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change set its climate goal to stabilize greenhouse gas (GHG) levels in 1992, when the atmospheric CO2 concentration was 350 ppm, which is the maximum level theorized to sustain life as we know it; and

 

WHEREAS, Achieving the commonly discussed target of “net zero by 2050” would still produce atmospheric CO2 concentrations above 450 ppm—more than 50 percent higher than has proven safe for humans long term;

 

WHEREAS, An atmospheric CO2 concentration of 450 ppm would correspond to a global average temperature rise of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius; and 

 

WHEREAS, “Climate restoration” refers to 1) the goal of restoring the atmospheric CO2 level to that which humans have survived long-term (below 300 ppm) and 2) actions required to achieve this CO2 level;

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WHEREAS, Restoring the atmospheric CO2 concentration to a safe level, below 300 ppm, by 2050 will require removing approximately one trillion tons of legacy CO2 from the atmosphere, or 50 billion tons of CO2 per year for 20 years.  Alternatively, restoring CO2 to the theoretically safe level of 350 ppm requires removing 30 Gt per year;

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WHEREAS, Nature has removed roughly one trillion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere 10  times in the last million years, primarily via photosynthesis in the ocean preceding each ice age; and over a longer period, has stored more than 99 percent of Earth’s CO2  in limestone; and

 

WHEREAS, Scientists and technologists have developed and demonstrated methods, to replicate and accelerate these natural processes, that have the potential to  be implemented and scaled safely, and at moderate cost; 

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WHEREAS, Climate justice requires climate restoration because low-income communities are the first and most impacted by climate change; 

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WHEREAS, Climate restoration will benefit Americans by reducing loss and damage from floods, storms, droughts and wildfires, while producing positive effects on human and ecosystem health, the insurance industry, and jobs in agriculture and other sectors;

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Now, therefore, be it 

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RESOLVED by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), that Congress formally recognizes the obligation to future generations to restore a safe climate, and declares climate restoration, along with achieving net-zero, a climate policy priority;

 

and further be it

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RESOLVED that we call on the President, Secretary of State, and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to propose a climate treaty that would restore and stabilize greenhouse-gas levels as our common climate goal.