,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #ah ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #af1 #bjbe,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,ms4 ,blunt ,rochester1 ,mr4 ,booker1 and ,mr4 ,welch7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,recognizing a health and safety emergency disproportionately affecting the fundamental rights of children due to the ,trump administration's directives that unleash fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change1 while suppressing climate change science4 ,whereas ,congress approved the establishment of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency in #aigj and enacted the ,clean ,air ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gdja et seq47 to exercise the ,united ,states' sovereign authority and duty to protect the air1 water1 lands1 and seas of the ,united ,states from pollution that harms human health and welfare and the natural environment2 ,whereas the administration of ,president ,donald ,j4 ,trump exceeds its authority by directing ,federal agencies1 in violation of the ,constitution and ,acts of ,congress1 to unleash domestic fossil fuel production1 while inhibiting the production of clean1 renewable energy and electric vehicles1 knowing that fossil fuel production will increase greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and injure the children of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,executive orders of ,president ,trump that are being implemented by ,federal agencies-- 7#a7 unleash and expand fossil fuel extraction1 including what ,president ,trump calls beautiful clean coal1 and eliminate environmental protections1 while blocking the least expensive and cleanest forms of renewable energy1 such as wind energy1 solar energy1 and energy storage technologies2 7#b7 invoke emergency powers to support a false national energy emergency2 7#c7 increase the already-excessive ,united ,states production and reliance on fossil fuels to achieve energy dominance2 and 7#d7 suppress and deny policymakers1 scientists1 and students access to critical climate science data and information2 ,whereas ,president ,trump's declaration of a national energy emergency is false because-- 7#a7 the ,united ,states is producing more oil and gas than at any other time in history2 7#b7 energy experts report that1 since #bjbj1 the ,united ,states has exported more petroleum 7products made from crude oil7 than it has imported1 and the experts agree that the ,united ,states has ample energy resources to meet its needs in #bjbe and into the future2 and 7#c7 the production of less costly1 clean1 renewable energy and electric vehicles is being impeded2 ,whereas the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency and ,president ,trump are defying the ,agency's core mission to abate pollution and preserve the ,earth as a place both habitable by and hospitable to humans as approved by ,congress1 by disregarding its statutory mandates and permitting exemptions1 resulting in the emission of hazardous air pollutants and the promotion of fossil fuel development2 ,whereas experts1 including physicians and other public health experts1 have found that ,president ,trump's ,executive orders will increase air pollution and cause at least an additional #aie1heg deaths over the next #be years2 ,whereas there is no compelling government interest in unleashing fossil fuel energy1 allowing destabilizing amounts of greenhouse gas emissions to enter the air1 and endangering the ,earth's life support systems and young people's right to life2 ,whereas the ,constitution of the ,united ,states protects children's fundamental rights to life1 liberty1 and property and equal protection of the laws2 ,whereas the ,united ,states was founded on a stable climate system necessary for children to exercise their rights to life1 liberty1 and property1 which include rights to the pursuit of happiness1 dignity1 personal security1 family autonomy1 bodily integrity1 and the ability to practice cultural and religious traditions2 ,whereas the right to life1 as the ,framers of the ,constitution intended1 includes the right of current and future generations to pursue happiness1 vitality1 and a full lifespan2 ,whereas there is overwhelming scientific consensus that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels causes unprecedented warming on ,earth and has dangerous impacts to the climate system2 ,whereas the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has risen from #cej parts per million in #aihh to over #dbd parts per million in #bjbd due to accelerated fossil fuel use1 when carbon dioxide levels hovered no higher than #bhe parts per million for most of human life on the planet2 ,whereas fossil fuel-induced temperature increases are dangerously accelerating faster today than they did during the #bjth century1 with the #aj warmest years on record all occurring since #bjae2 ,whereas a substantial portion of every ton of carbon dioxide emitted from the production and combustion of fossil fuels persists in the atmosphere for at least centuries1 and if fossil fuels continue to be produced1 the steady accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will lead to-- 7#a7 the continued heating of the ,earth2 7#b7 the loss of ice sheets and glacier mass with sea level rise2 and 7#c7 an increase in extreme weather events2 ,whereas the ,united ,states must accelerate its transition to clean1 renewable energy across all energy sectors and pursue a trajectory consistent with reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide to less than #cej parts per million this century to reduce ,earth's global heating at or below #a degree ,celsius above pre-industrial temperatures1 stabilizing the climate and protecting the fundamental rights of children2 ,whereas the emission of greenhouse gas from fossil fuels is causing a public health emergency that disproportionately harms children1 decreasing their quality of life1 and imposing on them a lifetime of hardship because children-- 7#a7 are at a critical development stage in life1 with brains and lungs that are not fully developed until around age #be2 7#b7 spend more time recreating outdoors and have more difficulty self-regulating their body temperature1 increasing their susceptibility to excess heat and poor air quality2 7#c7 are still dependent on adults2 and 7#d7 have longer lifespans than adults1 exposing them to dangerous conditions for a longer period of time than adults2 ,whereas heat waves1 droughts1 wildfires1 air pollution1 heavy rainfall1 flooding1 hurricanes1 and other extreme weather events have increased in frequency and severity due to human-caused climate change and cause acute and chronic physical harms in children through-- 7#a7 extreme heat that increases heat exposure and illness1 shortens lifespans1 and increases infant mortality by #be percent on extremely hot days2 7#b7 longer wildfire seasons with hotter and more destructive wildfires1 including the devastating ,january #bjbe wildfires in ,los ,angeles1 ,california1 that increase children's exposure to wildfire smoke1 causing higher rates of asthma-related hospitalizations2 7#c7 greater pollen concentrations and a longer pollen season that increase the effects of allergic rhinitis suffered by #ai4hg percent of children2 and 7#d7 more dangerous infectious disease patterns2 ,whereas the ,american ,academy of ,pediatrics and the ,american ,psychological ,association have found that climate change has detrimental impacts on the mental health of young people1 including feelings of uncertainty about the future and an understanding that their government is disregarding the science and not protecting them from climate change1 all of which result in anxiety1 post-traumatic stress disorder1 and other chronic impacts2 ,whereas ,black1 ,brown1 ,indigenous1 low-income1 and other vulnerable children1 including children on the front lines of human-caused climate change1 who have borne the brunt of climate change-- 7#a7 often live in communities that have long suffered from systemic environmental racism and social and economic injustices2 7#b7 are more likely-- 7,a7 to reside in areas close to fossil fuel infrastructure1 increasing their exposure to air pollution1 in the short- and long-term2 and 7,b7 to be disproportionately burdened by adverse health or environmental effects2 and 7#c7 are subjected to disproportionate energy costs in terms of the percentage of their families' income spent on energy2 ,whereas ,acts of ,congress and longstanding ,federal practice provide citizens1 policymakers1 scientists1 and students a reasonable expectation of continued access to government-supported scientific research and data regarding climate change and its solutions2 ,whereas the ,trump administration has directed executive departments1 agencies1 and institutes-- 7#a7 to change or remove references to climate change from ,federal websites2 7#b7 to remove thousands of crucial climate science datasets from ,federal websites2 7#c7 to withhold ,federal funding for scientific climate research2 and 7#d7 to punish institutions or individuals that the ,trump administration labels as environmental extremists1 causing widespread government imposed and coerced censorship2 ,whereas the ,trump administration's actions that suppress climate change science cause irreparable harm to students-- 7#a7 by denying access to critical climate change science needed to protect children's fundamental rights2 7#b7 by hindering the ability of scientists1 medical professionals1 and students to study and publish knowledge on climate change that is critical to protect children from climate change risks2 and 7#c7 by engaging in viewpoint discrimination through censorship1 cancellation of grant funding1 and the elimination of fields of scientific study that chill students' and scientists' protected academic speech about climate change2 ,whereas ,president ,trump's directives to unleash fossil fuels interfere with young people's ability to exercise-- 7#a7 their fundamental rights to life and a stable climate system1 as recognized by some ,state constitutions1 including those of ,montana and ,hawaii1 and the ,constitution of the ,united ,states2 and 7#b7 their rights as beneficiaries of the public trust2 ,whereas the high courts of other nations1 the ,european ,court of ,human ,rights1 and the ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly have affirmed the human right to a clean1 healthy1 and sustainable environment and the fundamental importance of a life-sustaining climate system as essential to other human rights2 and ,whereas #gc1jjj1jjj children in the ,united ,states1 who are denied the right to vote until they become #ah years old and are therefore politically powerless1 are harmed by the ,trump administration's climate and energy policies1 which these children cannot influence3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 leadership in the ,united ,states urgently needs-- 7,a7 to recognize and address the current health and safety emergency faced by children that is well documented and supported by the scientific community2 7,b7 to express its opposition to ,president ,trump's ,executive orders that unleash fossil fuels1 increase greenhouse gas emissions1 block the transition to vital clean1 renewable energy1 and chill climate change-related speech2 and 7,c7 to demand the ,trump administration-- 7i7 comply with congressional statutory mandates and reverse ongoing implementation of the ,executive orders that increase fossil fuel production1 block clean1 renewable energy and electric vehicles1 and weaken protections for children2 7ii7 restore the ,environmental ,protection ,agency to its core mission as approved by ,congress2 and 7iii7 republish climate change resources and climate science data on ,federal websites2 7#b7 ,congress and the ,federal ,government1 including the ,trump administration-- 7,a7 have a duty to constrain government actions that harm young people's lives and deprive them of their fundamental constitutional rights to only those actions strictly necessary to achieve a compelling government interest2 and 7,b7 should institute an intergenerational system of governing that ensures equal treatment of children by no longer discounting the lives of children and future generations2 and 7#c7 all energy and climate laws enacted by ,congress and ,executive orders1 regulations1 and practices issued by the executive branch with long-term impacts on the climate system and human communities should be consistent with-- 7,a7 protecting children's fundamental rights to life1 liberty1 and property1 which include rights to the pursuit of happiness1 dignity1 personal security1 family autonomy1 bodily integrity1 the ability to practice cultural and religious traditions1 and a stable climate system necessary for children to exercise these rights2 and 7,b7 putting the ,united ,states on a trajectory consistent with reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide to less than #cej parts per million by #b1ajj4