A resolution recognizing that climate change is not a hoax, but sound science.
Summary
S. Res. 550 is a sense-of-the-Senate resolution stating that climate change caused by fossil fuel combustion is not a hoax and is instead supported by sound science. The resolution lays out a series of findings citing historical scientific work, fossil fuel industry research, NASA data, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to support the conclusion that human activity is the principal driver of warming.
The resolution also emphasizes that climate change is producing real-world harms, including extreme weather, sea-level rise, heat waves, wildfires, and disruptions to insurance, mortgage, and real estate markets. In addition to making these findings, it calls on Congress to protect climate research programs that are required by law, specifically the National Climate Assessments and the United States Global Change Research Program.
Impact
This resolution would not directly amend the U.S. Code or create new regulatory requirements, but it would express the Senate’s position on climate science and urge protection of federally mandated climate research efforts under the Global Change Research Act of 1990. Its practical impact is primarily declaratory and political, reinforcing support for climate science, the National Climate Assessment process, and the federal research infrastructure that supports climate policy and planning.
Sentiment
The bill appears strongly supportive of climate science and climate research, with the listed sponsors signaling a clear pro-science, pro-climate-action stance. Because there are no recorded votes or committee transcripts provided, there is no evidence in the record here of formal opposition or amendment activity. The resolution’s tone is emphatic and corrective, aimed at rejecting climate denial rather than negotiating policy details.
Contention
The main point of contention is the resolution’s direct rejection of the claim that climate change is a hoax, which is likely to divide supporters of climate action from climate skeptics and opponents of federal climate policy. Another likely area of dispute is its criticism of the Trump administration’s actions regarding the National Climate Assessment and the U.S. Global Change Research Program, since those references frame the resolution as both a scientific and political rebuke. The resolution does not present competing policy options, so the controversy is centered on the underlying science and the federal government’s role in climate research.
A 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 change, while suppressing climate change science.
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 change, while suppressing climate change science.
Urging The State To Reject Energy Sources Found To Be Harmful Or Destabilizing To Our Climate System And Environment And To Commit To Renewable Energy And The Values Of Hawaii's Residents.
Urging The State To Reject Energy Sources Found To Be Harmful Or Destabilizing To Our Climate System And Environment And To Commit To Renewable Energy And The Values Of Hawaii's Residents.
Urging The State To Reject Energy Sources Found To Be Harmful Or Destabilizing To Our Climate System And Environment And To Commit To Renewable Energy And The Values Of Hawaii's Residents.
Urging The State To Reject Energy Sources Found To Be Harmful Or Destabilizing To Our Climate System And Environment And To Commit To Renewable Energy And The Values Of Hawaii's Residents.